Fire Emblem: Family
by crazypandagirl
Summary: How did Chrom know to look in that field, and why was he so willing to help a stranger in the beginning? What if Robin had a cousin, knew everything about the countries, and knew the reason the Grimleal needed her so bad? Mild cussing by a younger person involved. Formerly a one-shot, now a story
1. Chapter 1

Chrom POV

"So, Frederick, where to next?" I turn to the mounted knight Lissa and I have the pleasure of calling our guardian.

"Well, there is a village on this side of the mountains bordering Plegia that we haven't visited in some time. Perhaps you would like to go there?" He asks, to which Lissa pouts. "Is there something wrong with this decision, milady?"

"I don't wanna walk anymore, my feet hurt. Lemme ride with you, Frederick!"

I laugh while Frederick levels his stern gaze on Lissa. "Milady, you were the one who wanted to join the Shepherds, and now you need to work on toughening up. Walking is one of the best ways to do it, so you really shouldn't be complaining."

"Awww, you're gonna make Chrom and I walk the whole way while you ride the entire time? That's not fair!"

"But I'm used to it Lissa, and it's a good workout." I shake my head. "Come on, if you're good, I'll consider carrying you for a while tomorrow."

We press on until it nears sunset, when I hear a shout from the woods.

"Did either of you just hear a shout?" I ask my companions, who shake their heads. "I could've sworn-" I'm cut off by something flying into me, knocking the breath from my lungs and me flat onto my back.

The something turns out to be a girl younger than Lissa, who is apparently injured, but more furious than a raging dragon. "Damn you, bastards!" She rolls off me and pulls out a tome, designed with the etchings of dark magic. "Where did you take her?!" She goes charging into the woods again without so much as looking at us.

I regain my breath. "Frederick, Lissa, after her!" I scramble to my feet and run, pulling out Falchion just in case we manage to catch up and get caught in the fray. I lose track of time, but note that the sun barely changes its position when there is a flash of dark purple and light blue clashing up ahead. "This way!" Frederick picks up Lissa and deposits her in front of him in the saddle before we make it through the clearing.

I enter the clearing just in time to see the girl go flying into the trunk of a tree, and Frederick killing the mage that attacked her. I run to the fallen girl only to find her barely conscious. Her lips are moving, but I can't understand what she is saying, so I bend closer to her to hear. "… help… Robin… please…"

"Who is Robin?" I get no response as her eyes squeeze shut and her body is wracked with deep, painful sounding coughs. "Lissa, use your skills and heal her!"

Lissa runs over and uses her staff to heal the worst of the injuries, which ends the coughing fit and fixes a bloody gash on her arm. "Give her some water." As Frederick dismounts and pulls out of our supplies the requested items, I haul the girl into a sitting position, which she doesn't fight. "Miss, what's your name?"

"Sophia." She looks at me for a moment, then back at Lissa, then frowns. "If I'm not a total idiot, I would think you two are the prince and princess."

"And how would you know their identities at a glance, Sophia?" Frederick asks as he hands me a water canteen. "Few people would be able to know that for sure who haven't been in contact with the Shepherds, and your name is foreign."

"I've been to Ylisstol a few times, and I saw the royal family passing the store I was in once. Robin told me who you all were, but not by names, since he didn't know any names." She growls at him. "And stop acting like I'm gonna kill you without warning, I save that for the mage who took Robin."

I decide to intervene before relations get nasty. "Let's settle down now." I hand her the canteen, which she takes a large gulp from. "Sophia, who is Robin, and why are you so… protective of this person?"

The hostility in her gaze calms to one of concern and fear. "Robin's my cousin, she saved me from bandits a couple years ago, and we've been traveling together since her mom died. She was teaching me control of magic, and we were working on a collection of tomes, since they're easier to travel with than other weapons." She bites her lip. "She's been on edge the past week, always looking over her shoulder, like she was expecting to be attacked, so I took to carrying the dark tomes and made her carry a less dangerous one as well as a sword we found."

I sigh as Lissa takes some food from Frederick. "Huh. So is that why you were getting angry? Robin got kidnapped?"

She nods. "Yes sir. I'm afraid I have one of the more dangerous tempers, and I think the Grimleal had some part in her kidnapping."

"And why do you assume that?" Frederick asks, his face unreadable, but voice portraying his curiosity.

She pulls a piece of cloth from a pocket of what I now realize is a small skirt, which is a matching black to her too-small shirt, stopping just above the top of her skirt and ripped at the shoulders under her cloak. "This cloth is known for being used by the Grimleal, and I happen to know a few of their merchants." As I open my mouth to question this relationship, she leans out of my hold and onto her hands. "Look, I know you want answers, but she is in danger."

"Well, you're certainly not going to be of much help to her if you aren't in any shape to fight." Lissa comments, right before she whacks Sophia on the back of the head, knocking her unconscious. "Sorry guys, but she is in no shape to go charging off again. Besides, you can try to follow the direction she went in before and see if you can pick up the trail."

I snort. "Lissa, you might be onto something with that plan." I look at the sleeping girl on the ground, noting her boots are well made, very worn, and hold two daggers in each. "We won't go very far, not with this lighting." She nods and goes back to work on healing Sophia's more severe wounds in peace.

"Milord, they were headed towards the sunset, so I suggest we start in that direction." Frederick states in a bland voice once we start walking away.

"Right." I can't shake the feeling that there is more to the story of these cousins than what we have been told, and that trouble is descending.

Sophia POV

I groan and roll onto my side, swatting at the hand shaking my shoulder. "Go away Robin… it's too early…" The hand shakes my shoulder again, and I snarl and swat the hand away again.

"Sophia, you need to get up, at least to eat something." An unfamiliar, yet feminine voice sends a jolt of fear through me, and I bolt upright, reaching to my boot for a dagger that is no longer there. I then realize the shocked woman is just the princess.

Her brother chuckles. "If you're looking for your weapons, we took them last night just to make sure you wouldn't try to kill us in our sleep."

I glare at him. "Give them back."

The knight returns my glare, but I don't back down. "I think you need to give us the full story and then we'll be the judge of whether or not you deserve your weapons back."

"I've told you everything I know, and I haven't attacked you yet, so why do you have it in your head that I have those intentions in mind?" I shake my head. "You know what, never mind. Don't listen to me when I am being honest to a stranger for once." I stand up and turn my back to them, beginning to walk into the woods. "If you don't mind, I think I'm going to look for my cousin now."

"Wait!" The prince runs up behind me and grabs my shoulder. "We searched for her last night, but the tracks were covered too well, and we lost them in the dark."

I sigh and allow my shoulders to slump. "Then at least tell me what your plans are for me."

He guides me to sit back down in front of a small fire, then hands me a bit of jerky and dried fruit. "Well, I was thinking if you wanted our help you could join the Shepherds for a while, if anything because you could use our contacts to track down your cousin. Not to mention you could probably use some adult supervision."

I giggle at the idea. "You might be right about the supervision." He tilts his head and makes a questioning sound. "It's a joke between me and Robin you wouldn't understand." I shake my head and smile kindly at him for the first time. "I would be happy to join your Shepherd force, Your Highness."

He makes a face. "Well, for starters, start calling me Chrom, my sister Lissa, and our babysitter Frederick."

"You realize I am right here? I'm most certainly no Kellam." The knight Frederick grumbles.

"Of course, how else would you know that you are appreciated?" Chrom chuckles before he turns his attention back to my situation. "Anyway, regarding your situation, you have a couple of options for what you would like to do for the moment. Currently, we are headed to a village near the border of Plegia, and you are welcome to join us. If you don't want to go there with us, then we can take a slight detour and leave you at Ylisstol so you can train with the rest of the Shepherds in the castle."

Frederick clears his throat. "Personally, Sophia, I believe you might benefit from some study time with our mages. Lissa may be a cleric, but she is no war mage." Lissa makes an odd sound that we all ignore. "However, you won't be allowed to use dark magic unless you have strict permission from Lady Emmeryn."

"Hey!" Lissa jumps up and grabs my hand, pulling me up next to her. "You should give us a demonstration of your fighting ability!"

"Lissa, I don't know about that…" Chrom gives me a concerned glance. "Maybe we could watch later when Miriel tests her? I just don't like the idea of magic being unchecked."

"A wise thought, milord." Frederick comments before standing. "Well Sophia? What would you like to do?"

I bite my lip and stare into the heart of the fire, considering my options. I could go to this village near Plegia, which for all I know could be where Robin was taken. Another option is going to the castle and learn to control my magic from people who study only that, and maybe learn something new. Either way, I risk not finding Robin. I look at Lissa, who gives me a kind smile, and I make up my mind. "Take me with you to this village."

Chrom smiles at me and rises to stand beside me. "Great. Just know that if we run into bandits on the way that you need to be careful, and try not to aim at us with your spells."

I smirk. "Trust me, my aim is better than you think."

Robin POV

I run into an open field with high grass coming up to my thighs, and fall to my knees, clutching my side and gasping for breath as I pray I have lost the Grimleal. I stay there for a time before I dare to move, and move my hand away from my side, releasing a sigh of relief that it was only a pain in my side from the harsh run and minimal breathing.

I look about me and realize I have no clue where I am, and the only evidence that tells me I am still in Ylisse is the fact that the soil is damp and the grass is still tinged a faint green. I look to the sky and breathe a prayer for Sophia as an evil magic strikes me from behind, and I scream as everything goes dark.

The last thing I see is a pair of feet that look disturbingly like mine.

Okay, new story, but I've been playing this recently and wanted to put in my take on a way this could have started. I mean, really, how would Chrom have known to look at that particular field at the start of the game unless someone told him? And unless I'm completely blind, I don't think you character is right next to a road in that field.

Will be a one-shot until I get a review asking for this to become a story, otherwise enjoy, and leave the rest to your imaginations!

I do not own Fire Emblem Awakening


	2. Chapter 2

In response to a review I received, this is officially becoming a story. Thank you so much once again for the review, and I shall get on with this story.

I do not own Fire Emblem Awakening.

Sophia POV

We put out the fire and Frederick offers me a hand up to his horse. I give him a questioning look. "You are definitely not up for the walking we have planned out."

I take his hand, and he pulls me up in front of him in the saddle. "Thanks, Frederick."

We set out, me riding the entire time with Frederick, as Chrom and Lissa give me the general idea of what we are up to and what they have been up to in regards to Shepherd work. We ride through the morning to the afternoon, when I hear a crow in the distance.

"Can we stop for a moment?" I ask Frederick, who stops Chrom and Lissa.

He dismounts, then helps me down, and I wince as I straighten out. "You get used to the soreness after a time."

"Is there a reason you called for a stop?" Chrom approaches me. "We wouldn't usually call a halt this early."

I point to the crow circling in the sky. "That's why. I think Robin may have come this way."

They all look to the crow. "What about it? I'm sure there's nothing to it. We see crows circling all the time." Lissa comments.

I shake my head. "I don't think that is the case here." I start walking off the road, lifting my cloak off the ground and tucking the end into the waistband of my skirt.

I hear a sigh as Chrom jogs up behind me. "At least let me come along, just to keep you out of trouble." I turn to smile to him as he holds a small bag out to me. "Also, I figure you're reliable enough to have your weapons and tomes back."

"Thanks." I pull from the bag the daggers and put one in each of the hidden sheaths in my boots, then sling the bag across my chest to hold my tomes. "I really appreciate your offer to help me, by the way."

"It's my pleasure, and you might be able to help make Ricken grow up a little bit." I make a questioning noise, not having been made familiar with this name. "He's another young mage of the Shepherds, still too young to go on any missions, but he helps out around the palace." He grows quiet as we hear the crow calling again, this time much closer than before.

We walk into a clearing, and Chrom stops, gasping in shock by the sight laid out before us. There are bodies of the Grimleal laid out everywhere, pools of blood under some while others look slightly charred. "Robin was definitely here." I crouch next to the body of one of the mages, taking the tome etched with wind designs, shaking my head before I look back at Chrom, who looks incredibly pale. "They never stood a chance once she came to her senses, not with wind magic and swords."

"How can you be so sure that this is her work?" Chrom finally crouches next to me as I look at the footprints next to the body.

"She left me a clue in these tracks." I point to the heel of the footsteps. "See these notches? I have a matching cutout in my own boots, so that if we ever get separated, we could find each other's tracks and get back together." I put a hand over the body, feeling almost no warmth left in the mage. "This must have happened several hours ago, maybe around dawn."

"What do you want to do?" Chrom asks. "If we're this close, do you want to pursue her?"

"I want to say yes, but I don't think she'll be anywhere nearby, and she might be hiding if she's hurt." I look down at the ground. "Chrom, could you take Frederick and Lissa around this camp and follow the tracks while I get to work on burials?"

"And leave you here alone? Absolutely not. I'm not going to leave you alone when there could be more of them lingering." He's fighting the urge to yell at me for the mere idea of being left alone, one I can tell he is losing the control over.

I raise my gaze to him. "There's not much time to find her before she'll be on the move again, regardless of any injuries she may or may not have. Please, if you all go ahead, I can meet you around the next town."

He drops his gaze to the ground, releasing a sigh. "You know, I really hate your reasoning right now."

I smirk. "Get used to it."

Chrom POV

"Ugh, Chrom! We've been searching for Robin for hours!" Lissa complains. "I'm thinking she might have already gotten away."

I shake my head. "Look, we'll just search this field, then the trees a bit beyond, then go back to Sophia, alright?" As much as I hate to admit Lissa may be right, she has a valid point.

She pouts, but no longer voices her complaints, for which I am grateful. We break the woodline, finding ourselves in a field with wildly overgrown grass, reaching our knees. Frederick decides to remain atop his horse, and I figure that he has a better vantage point from the higher angle to search more ground faster than Lissa and I on the ground.

"Milord, I see something ahead of you pressing the grass down." Frederick points to a spot ahead of me, where I see something darkly colored through the thick grass.

Lissa and I run forward, finding a woman sprawled out on the grass, seemingly at peace in what seems to be a nice nap. We lean over her, taking in her white hair and stunning, if not slightly exhausted features.

"Chrom, we have to do something." Lissa nudges me, imploring me to figure out some way to help this woman.

"What do you propose we do?" I shoot back, just as worried and clueless as to how to help her.

She pauses for but a moment in contemplation. "Uh, I don't know." We both look down when I notice the woman's eyes flicker open and focus on us.

"I see youre awake now." I smile down gently at her, and she seems slightly confused.

"Hey there." Lissa giggles in relief.

"There are better places to take a nap than on the ground you know." I smirk slightly before extending a helping hand to her. "Give me your hand." She slowly raises her hand into mine, and I see a strange purple tattoo on the back of her hand in the shape of several eyes. I pull her up roughly and she stumbles a bit on unsteady legs.

"Are you alright?" I ask, noticing her dazed look.

She stutters a bit as she answers me. "Y-yes… Thank you, Chrom."

I raise my brows in wonder. "Ah, then you know who I am?"

She raises one hand to her head with a frown of confusion. "No, actually, I… It's strange. Your name, it just… came to me."

"... Hmm, how curious." I frown myself, thinking this can't possibly be the woman Robin we are looking for, not to mention she looks nothing like Sophia. "Tell me, what's your name? What brings you here?"

"My name is… It's…" She bites her lip in thought, as though truly confused. "Hmm?"

My frown deepens in confusion. "… You don't know your own name?"

She looks around for a second, an apologetic look coming over her features. "I'm not sure if… I'm sorry, but where am I, exactly?"

Lissa gasps. "Hey, I've heard of this! It's called amnesia!"

I see Frederick dismount from his horse and step over to us. "It's called a load of pegasus dung." He regards the woman with his customary scowl. "We're to believe you remember milord's name, but not your own?"

The woman is fearful as shock washes over her. "B-buts it's the truth!"

I sigh and giver Frederick a weary look. "… What if it IS true, Frederick? We can't just leave her here, alone and confused. What sort of Shepherds would we be then?"

He shakes his head. "Just the same, milord, I must emphasize caution. 'Twould not do to let a wolf into our flock."

I bow down to his reasoning, but only giving slightly. "Right then—we'll take her back to town and sort this out there."

She gasps at this. "Wait just one moment. Do I have a say in this?"

I sigh again, shaking my head. "Peace, friend—I promise we'll hear all you have to say back in town. Now come." We lead her away, and we return to the path leading to the next town, Sophia's welfare taking up a major part of my concern.

After walking awhile, the woman stops and sighs once more. "What will you do with me? Am I to be your prisoner?"

I chuckle at her obvious fear. "Hah! You'll be free to go once we establish you're no enemy of Ylisse."

Her head tilts to the side in curiosity. "Is that where we are? Ylisse?"

Frederick looks taken aback by this query, even through his stoic mask. "You've never heard of the halidom?" He sounds slightly amused. "Ha! Someone pay this actress. She plays quite the fool! The furrowed brow is especially convincing…"

I get fed up with his constant nitpicking, even though he is just looking out for our safety in the presence of this stranger, who I am by now certain is not the woman we are looking for. "Frederick, please." I turn to her. "This land is known as the Halidom of Ylisse. Our ruler, Emmeryn, is called the exalt. I suppose proper introductions are in order…" I gesture to each of us, starting with myself. "My name is Chrom—but then, you already knew that." I gesture next to Lissa, standing beside me. "The delicate one here is my little sister, Lissa."

At this, she fumes loudly with an adorable little pout. "I am NOT delicate! … Hmph!" Lissa turns to her. "Ignore my brother, please. He can be a bit thick sometimes." She sends a pouty glare my way with this comment, then goes back to the woman. "But you're lucky the Shepherds found you. Brigands would've been a rude awakening!"

Contrary to Lissa's cheer, she just seems more confused. "Shepherds? You tend sheep?" She sends a glance towards Frederick, standing a few paces behind her. "… In full armor?"

I chuckle lightly at the common misconception of our title. "Heh, it's a dangerous job. Just ask Frederick the Wary here."

She turns to him with raised brows. He raises his chin slightly with pride. "A title I shall wear with pride. Gods forbid one of us keeps an appropriate level of caution." He has a slightly apologetic look in his eyes as he regards our stray. "I have every wish to trust you, stranger, but my station mandates otherwise."

She smiles slightly. "I understand sir. I would do no less myself. My name is Robin." A new frown of confusion washes over her. "… I just remembered that. How odd. I suppose that's one mystery solved."

"Robin?" I frown, now not so sure of my assumption that she isn't the one we were searching for, as I also note Lissa viewing the land behind us. "Is that foreign? … Ah, well. We can discuss it later. We're almost to town. Once we-" I'm cut off by a gasp from Lissa.

"Chrom, look! The town!" she cries out, pointing to a plume of smoke from the village.

I growl under my breath. "Damn it! The town is ablaze! Those blasted brigands, no doubt…" My mind suddenly returns to Sophia, and I can only pray she isn't trying to deal with the situation alone if she has already arrived there. "Frederick, Lissa! Quickly!"

Frederick looks slightly conflicted. "What about her?" he asks, gesturing to Robin.

"Unless she's on fire as well, it can wait!" I snap, my mind now going to ways to deal with the brigands.

"Aptly put, milord." He responds, for the first time in a while agreeing with my judgment of priorities.

Lissa groans at us. "Let's go already!"

As we dash off, I hear Robins call out in confusion. "But what about-" I don't linger to listen, only worried about the villagers.

Okay, I know this is a really weird place to leave off, but it's what any player ought to already know, and I promise to pick up where I left off whenever I get to the next chapter.

If anyone does review with either a comment or a story suggestion for a plot twist, I will give you a shout out in the next chapter and even consider it when I next update my profile in a few days.

I do not own Fire Emblem Awakening, and by the way, this is the exact dialogue from the game, it took forever to do.


	3. Chapter 3

Sophia POV

I run into the burning village, only to find a giant man yelling orders for more destruction to the small community. I then see him grab a young woman, say something to her, then hear her wail for help. I turn to climb up to the roof of one of the buildings and jump over the roofs in my path to get to her. I pull out my knife and drop from the roof, my feet landing perfectly on his shoulders, knocking him down and the woman out of his grip. Stabbing him twice, I stand, grab her, and run away from the town square as I pick up on the combat sounds.

The woman starts babbling her thanks, and is reaching hysterics, so I pull her to a stop and look at her. "Hey, you need to calm down. Take a deep breath." She obeys me automatically, and visibly relaxes. "Where can you go to hide?"

"My house is just over there." She gestures to a house just across the road.

"Good. Get in there, lock the doors and shutters, and hide, alright?"

She nods, and I send her over there alone just as I hear the sounds of combat ending, and follow her. "What is it?"

I sigh. "Just try to relax, okay? The bandits are taken care of."

She gapes at me. "Are you certain?"

I nod my head. "I just heard the combat ending, and there are Shepherds here, so just take some time to calm down."

"Okay. Thank you for saving me."

I smile. "You're welcome." I turn, pause, and then look back to her. "Maybe you would do well to carry a knife around with you, or something you could hit an attacker with when you're in close quarters like that again." I turn back and walk away, leaving her staring at me.

I walk to the town square, only to find the Shepherds gone already, without leaving me a message or even a trail to follow. "Uh, miss?" I turn to a villager standing behind me. "The Shepherds wished for me to tell you that they would follow this road, then camp later. They wished for you to catch up to them then, as well as they wanted you to know that they found a woman."

A smile lifts my lips the slightest bit. "Thank you. I hope your village won't suffer too much from the attack?"

He shakes his head. "We've been attacked before, so I know we'll be fine. Don't worry yourself over us."

"If you say so." I start walking the road. "And thanks for passing along the message!"

Chrom POV

"Frederick, I told you it would be getting dark soon!" Lissa complains, while Robin remains silent.

"Well, why don't we set up camp then? Maybe we can also spear some animal or other for dinner while we wait for Sophia." I suggest.

"Ugh, just spear an animal that normal people eat for once." She mutters, annoyed and tired.

"Um, Chrom? Who is this… Sophia? Is she a Shepherd as well?" Robin asks as we wander around, picking through the forest for firewood.

I give her a long look, trying to tell myself this can't be the same Robin we were searching for all afternoon. "Yes, she just joined us this morning, several hours before we found you in that field. We were looking for her cousin Robin, though I don't think you are the one we were tracking."

She shakes her head. "I don't know… I don't have any memories to say if I am or not, but if she ever shows up then she can hopefully remind me of something."

I smile gently and put a hand on her shoulder. "Anything is possible, just don't get your hopes up too high for anything."

She smiles back and looks back to the ground. "Yeah…" her voice trails off as we walk on, gathering fallen branches from the ground.

Once we have plenty of wood gathered in our arms, we head back to the campsite, where Lissa had decided to gather rocks and arrange them into a neat little circle for the fire, and Frederick gutting a bear. "Frederick, did you really have to go after a bear again? I said something normal!" Lissa whines as we dump the wood next to her.

"Milady, it was the first thing I saw, and there are no normal animals really wandering this area so late in the day." He turns to me. "Milord, if you would be so helpful as to get the fire going."

"I got it, Chrom." A voice comes from behind me. I turn to find none other than Sophia standing behind me, with what looks to be a splash of blood on her arms.

"What happened to you?! Are you alright?!" I rush over to her and grab her shoulders, searching for any injuries.

She rolls her eyes and takes a step away from me. "I helped out at the village during the attack. One of the brigands was being… clingy to a woman, so I helped her out. After that, I stuck around to make sure that she would be okay, then I got your message when I went to the village square."

"And the blood?" Lissa asks.

She wrinkles her nose at the dried substance on her arms. "None of it is mine. I wasn't hurt in the slightest." She takes on a more serious demeanor, if that is even possible. "Did you find her?"

"I'm not sure if we have the same Robin in mind, we found her in a field with amnesia, and she's agreed to be our new tactician." I grab her shoulder and walk her over to the woman. "Is this her?"

Sophia's eyes fill with tears and her hands fly to her mouth. "How could this happen?" she whispers.

Robin gives her a blank look, which then falls onto me. "What's going on here?"

I sigh and force Sophia towards Lissa, who gets her to help with making the fire. "She's your cousin. She said that you were kidnapped when we found her last night, and she was fighting against another mage. She was pretty badly injured, but Lissa patched her up." She gapes at me, but I can't find it in me to be amused. "I offered her a place in the Shepherds, and we've been keeping an eye out for you since."

She looks past me to Sophia, who I look at to see she has a small flame started already. "She's so young though… how could she fight against a fully trained mage?"

I shake my head. "You have been training her yourself for a long time." She opens her mouth to protest, but I put up a hand to stop her. "It doesn't matter, she is very advanced in her skills, and can handle herself in a fight. You don't have to remember all at once, but you should know that you gave her quite a scare. From what she's told us, you both are all the two of you have left."

"I just… can't believe this. How could I teach her to kill? And at such a young age…"

I shrug and put a hand on her shoulder. "We do what we have to in order to protect those we love. And all you have done is to teach her how to defend herself. You should be proud of her, at the very least."

Okay, I know this is getting off of the way the game goes, but otherwise things would be way too confusing… but the storyline will still be relatively accurate other than my OC stuff.

Anyway, nobody is getting a shout out anywhere, but the offer is still open for anyone who has been thinking it over.

I do not own Fire Emblem Awakening


	4. Chapter 4

Sophia POV

Once we have a decent fire going, Frederick takes a knife and starts cutting up the bear meat into appropriate portions to cook for each of us. I note Chrom and Robin are having a decent conversation, most likely about the Shepherds or tactics. Deciding I shouldn't be invading their privacy like that, I look at the fire again, pulling my knees up to my chin, falling deep into my thoughts.

"Hey, you okay?" a familiar hand on my shoulder jolts me out of my reverie as Robin sits down next to me.

"Yeah, just tired." I glance into her eyes, seeing nothing but concern. "Do you really not remember anything?"

"I only remember certain things, like tactics and my name and such. I don't recognize you, but you do seem familiar."

I put my hand over hers on my shoulder, squeezing tightly. "Maybe it's for the best that you don't."

"Why would you say that?" she asks, a frown on her face.

As I open my mouth to answer, Frederick speaks up. "Dinner is finished cooking."

We each take our own portion, but halfway through eating my own share I note Robin has already finished hers, and still looks hungry, so I offer her the rest of mine.

She gives me a funny look. "Aren't you hungry?"

"It's okay, I wasn't all that hungry to begin with." With a small smile, I force the meat into her hands. She reluctantly takes it from me and continues to eat, but much slower now than she was eating before.

"Hey, Sophia?" Chrom pokes my shoulder, gaining my full attention. "We're headed for Ylisstol instead of the village we were planning on going to before, since we need to discuss with the Exalt what to do in response to the bandits."

"Plegian, right?" He nods confirmation. "I was actually wondering about that. If the times have changed, why does their king not follow in Ylisse's example?"

He shakes his head. "It's a grudge many still feel, and he is absolutely mad. Nothing will bring him to see reason, so we just do our best to fend him off and not declare war again."

"When we were there, though, the people we met were actually jealous of the peace of the halidom. They dislike their own king, but fear to say it aloud, so it is simply implied." I bite my lip, looking at Robin's coat for a moment. "At first, they feared Robin, but saw her kind heart once they got past the coat."

"Her coat?"

I close my eyes and sigh. "It's just a rumor that goes around every time the Grimleal pass through their villages, and we were visiting them soon after they had passed through."

He tugs a lock of my hair. "Are you going to give me a straight answer or not?"

"In this case, probably not, since I never got one either." I tug my hair from his grip, tucking it back behind my ear. "Look, I don't know very much about what's going on with her or anything else, but I know she was fully aware of the situation she was in. I think she's been on the run since the day she was born."

"Is that what bothers you?" I shake my head. "Then what is it that does?"

I take a shaky breath. "What bothers me is that she might have been running from her family, and brought me with her to keep me safe."

Chrom POV

As I watch my companions sleep, I feel as though something is seriously wrong, but I just can't put my finger on just what it is. I rub my eyes and ears, hoping to clear both, but the feeling still lingers, so I stand up to take a closer look at our surroundings. Nothing wrong catches my eye, but I decide to take a walk around the surrounding woods.

Of course, as I barely take a few steps, Lissa wakes up and notices my actions. "What's wrong?"

I shake my head. "I don't know, but I'm fairly sure it's nothing. Go back to sleep, Lissa."

She shakes her head and stands up. "If you're going to check on something, I'm not letting you go alone."

I smile at her and start walking again. "Thanks."

We walk through the woods, getting further away from the camp as I search for the signs of anything amiss. Lissa gets bored and sighs. "Well, I just think you're being paranoid Chrom."

I frown. "But then why is it so silent? There should be the sounds of animals and whatnot." Then the ground trembles under our feet, throwing us to our hands and knees on the ground. "What in the-?!"

"Chrom!" Lissa shrieks, terrified.

I then hear trees falling, getting louder as they get closer to us. "Lissa, run!" She hesitates with a sound of confusion. "I mean it, go!" She takes off and I barely linger in time to see the ground crack, rising up and turning red from the heat of the earth, rising enough to release molten lava and fireballs into the night sky, setting the forest aflame. I catch up to Lissa, and see a tree beginning to fall into her path. "Lissa, this way!" I shout over the sound of the wild flames consuming the forest.

She turns from her path and follows me, neither of us stopping for breath as we jump over a newly formed cliff, landing roughly on our feet. We run until we are sure we are out of the burning area of the forest, where we finally stop to catch our breath. Lissa bends over, leaning her hands on her knees as I watch fireballs jump through the burning forest in awe.

"Chrom!" She points to a spot in the sky where light is gathering. "What is that?" The light converges and explodes into a circle with odd runes, and a shape like a closed eye forms in the center, which then opens to reveal more of the watery light.

I note the human shapes that take form in the light, falling through it and landing in heaps on the ground. They wobble their way upright, and once they straighten out, I realize with a jolt at their red eyes that these things are most definitely not human.

I draw Falchion and level it in front of me. "Lissa, you better stay back."

One of the creatures takes a couple steps forward, then releases a blood curdling roar, black fog drifting from its mouth. It then charges at me, raising its axe as it jumps, trying to bash my skull in. I duck under its weapon, and swing Falchion through its waist, and it freezes for a moment, as do I. I then realize it doesn't drop dead as it swings the axe for my torso, and I swing Falchion around again, blocking the hit and forcing the monster to the ground. I don't give it the chance to rise as I swing the blade around, lighting it up and plunging the blade through the creature's heart. It disintegrates into the foul black mist, and the shock mesmerizes me until Lissa's shrill screams remind me of the second creature.

I run to her as her eyes look up to the portal as the axe swings up, then back onto the weapon as it descends upon her, cringing and raising her staff in the hope of it providing some form of protection. Before the blade can hit her, a young man in a mask dashes between them, a blade over his shoulders, carrying the weight of the attack. He grunts as he strains to hold off the blade, then turns his head to look at me. "Help!" his voice indicates he is fairly young, and breaks me from my worry.

"Right!" I charge at the monster, approaching from its left side with a war cry. It turns its attention to me, losing focus on attacking the masked man. He pushes the creature back and swings the blade through the monster at the same time I do, severing it in two and causing it to turn into the disturbing fog once again.

He sheathes his blade as Lissa lowers her staff, sensing the area to be clear. "That was quite an entrance. What's your name?" His back stiffens as he glances over his shoulder at me, seemingly sizing me up.

The beating of hooves on the earth catches my attention before he can answer, and I turn away to find Frederick with Robin running to us. "Milord, are you alright?!"

"We're fine! But where's Sophia?!" I shout, not seeing her with them.

Robin glances at the ground. "We thought she was with you."

I then see the eerie red glow of more eyes through the forest. "There's no time to worry where she went, we have to take care of these things first."

"Right!" Frederick readies his lance as Robin jumps off the saddle behind him, pulling out her lightning tome once again.

Right as we prepare to charge at the horde, Sully and some noble come charging up to us. "Captain Chrom! Damn, I knew I shouldn'ta left 'em alone!"

"My lady, please, won't you be my wife?" the noble asks her, to which we all stare incredulously, but divert our attention from them as Sully drives her foot into his face.

"Ruffles, I'm busy!"

"Then at least allow me to accompany you. I am an archer, after all."

Sully sighs. "Whatever, if it'll shut you up." He jump onto her horse and starts shooting at the monsters.

Robin notices the forts. "Hey, are those…?"

I nod as Frederick answers her. "Yes, they are abandoned forts."

"We should hide out in them as much as possible then, it'll provide excellent cover." We nod as we ready to charge, Frederick riding with Lissa in his saddle and me with Robin. "We need to stay together as much as possible."

We charge at the monsters, Robin electrocuting them, using her magic several times to weaken them for me to finish off. We get through about half of them when a bigger one dragging its axe behind it attacks Robin, leaving a long gash down her front. She cries out as she falls back into my arms, bleeding heavily.

"Chrom!" she gasps, throwing my attention to our attacker. It raises its axe to finish us off when a dark spell hits its back, a purple fire engulfing it and destroying the monster.

More dark spells litter the area, destroying the remaining monsters faster than I would have imagined anyone to be capable of doing. The source reveals itself to be a furious Sophia, covered head to toe in blood and gashes, with an open tome labeled Goetia. Lissa tries to heal her, but Sophia pulls a packet from her bag and runs to me, falling to her knees next to Robin, still bleeding heavily in my arms.

"Damn monster! I can't believe this!" She rips apart the packet and dumps the contents- which smell strongly of herbs and magic- over the wound, instantly stopping the bleeding and healing the gash. "Robin, look at me." She grabs Robin's chin in one bloody hand, forcing her to obey, then holds up three fingers. "Tell me how many fingers I've got up."

The answer is immediate. "Three." Robin then frowns. "I didn't hit my head, so why did you check with that?"

The stern expression melts into relief. "You don't handle blood loss very well, as I found out last year. At least you can see straight." She looks back up at me. "Let's see about standing her up."

I nod and stand myself up, offering a hand to Robin as another, which belongs to the masked man, is offered to Sophia. They each take their offered hand, and Lissa dashes over, waving her staff over Sophia's body, healing the wounds but leaving behind the blood. Once her treatment is done, Lissa turns to the man.

"Thank you, you know… for saving me earlier."

He nods, one hand on his eerily familiar blade hilt. I then note that the mask is in the shape of a butterfly, an odd design but still regal. "Might I ask your name, sir?"

"You may call me Marth." He responds after a moment of hesitation. "That was the last of the monsters in the area, I took care of the rest."

"Marth as in the hero king of old?" I ask, to which he nods.

"Wow. Where did you learn to fight these things like that?" Robin asks.

"I'm not here to talk about me, I came to deliver a warning. The events of tonight are but a prelude to what is yet to come. Prepare yourselves." He then turns and walks away from us, vanishing into the woods.

"Captain! Are you alright?" Sully rides up next to me, then elbows the noble in the face riding behind her. "And you need to get off now!"

"I'm fine Sully. I thought you went back to Ylisstol to rest up?" I ask her.

She shrugs. "I was a few miles away from here when that earthquake struck, and heard Lissa screaming, so I came to check things out." She then turns to Sophia, who is swaying on her feet. "Who's the squirt? And this woman?"

"Our two newest Shepherds: Sophia, the one covered in blood; and Robin, our new tactician here." I introduce both, and they all nod to each other.

"Foreign names? Travelers?" she asks, to which she receives no answer. Sophia's eyes begin to flutter as the nobleman steps forward to steady her, as I am holding Robin upright. "Ruffles, pass her up to me, she's in no condition to be standing."

As he obeys, he whines loudly. "My name is Virion, my good lady. I am the archest of archers, a legend among men. Won't you please use my name?"

Sully settles Sophia in her lap to make her as comfortable as possible. "Only if you stop trying to propose to me."

Okay, a good stopping point, as I have some other things to take care of before next week. I will not be updating my stories much in the next two to maybe three week cuz of some stuff and I will not be a happy camper in that time period. I will update only if I find the time to do so, so most of my stories will be sitting for quite some time, as thins will be picking up for me now.

Once more, I do not own Fire Emblem Awakening, and the offer from chapter 2 is still open. And do not count on somebody else reviewing with a similar idea to yours, I have tried that and it doesn't work! If there is an offer like this, take it! I will uphold my promise, it'll just take a while to do!


	5. Chapter 5

Chrom POV

Sophia sleeps through the rest of the night and well into the next morning as we travel to Ylisse, Sully carrying her the entire time with a delicate concern I never though the woman to possess. About an hour after dawn, we stop by a stream to rest and water the horses. By then, Sully has become a mother hen, fretting over Sophia, and takes her to the stream to try cleaning off some of the blood.

Robin, however, seems indifferent to everything going on around her, walking around in a daze. I force her to sit down in the grass and look her in the eye. "What's going on in that head of yours?"

She blinks owlishly at me, then sighs. "I always relied on her for everything. I've burdened her with a life she shouldn't live, thinking I would be protecting her."

"You remembered?" I smooth a lock of hair behind her ear.

She nods. "A lot, ever since she used those herbs to heal me last night." She looks in the direction Sully took Sophia. "She had nothing left after the bandits ravaged her home, but I don't think they were really bandits."

"Then who do you think it was?" I frown, trying to think of what could have been going on.

She clenches her eyes shut and her whole body seems to droop. "The Grimleal, or to be more specific, my father, Validar." I put a hand on her shoulder, squeezing to give her support. "I never told her my suspicions, but taught her to recognize Grimleal resources. She never realized that the merchant who always went through her village was once of their fabric merchants until I showed her the symbols on the fabric."

I glance around, thinking of how to best phrase my next question. "If your father is Grimleal, then are you as well?"

She scrunches her face in disgust. "Hell no, my mother stole me from the crib to save me from that foul religion. She was formerly a worshipper, but came to her senses when she had me." She then smiles slightly. "I'm just glad she made the choices she did when she did."

I smirk. "Same here. Is there anything else you remember?"

She looks at me with one eye shut, almost cringing. "I remember seeing you in Ylisstol several months ago, Your Highness."

I cringe slightly. "Please, no titles, and don't go all formal on me now."

She laughs wholeheartedly, and the notion is contagious, as I quickly join in. we laugh until Sully comes back, leading a half-awake Sophia by the shoulders, now cleaned of the blood and with hair cleaned, turning out to be not a clay matted mess but a midnight black color, the exact color of her outfit.

Robin goes to stand in front of them. "Sophia…" she lets out a small laugh as she hugs her cousin. "I'm sorry I forgot about you, but I remember now."

The younger girl slowly wraps her arms around Robin and hides her face in the purplish coat. "Good. I was worried I would have to beat the memories back into you."

They separate, and Sophia yawns. "Are you really up to going to Ylisstol?" I ask her, thinking we might need to stay here for a while so she can properly rest.

She rubs her eyes. "I want to, I just barely slept last night, and then the healing really took it out of me." She turns around to face Sully. "Is it okay if I ride with you the rest of the way?"

"Sure thing, kiddo." Sully looks to me. "Captain, do you want me to ride ahead to tell the Exalt you'll be back by this afternoon?"

"Please do, and thanks for offering. Would you mind going now?"

She smiles and salutes me. "Yes, sir! Let's go Sophia!" Both of them get on her horse and gallop off, Sophia hanging onto Sully for dear life from behind.

Robin shakes her head, then looks at me. "Sully really likes her, doesn't she?"

I chuckle a bit at the comment. "Most of us have a weakness for something, and girls who can fight are hers." I stand up and brush the dust from my backside. "Well, we should probably hit the road again, the capital is not that much further away."

Robin smiles at the idea of reaching our destination. "No doubt Lissa will be thrilled to be back." I chuckle and shake my head in total agreement. "Um, Chrom, I was wondering about something…"

"What is it?" I ask when she trails off.

"Would there be any chance that Sophia could be a personal bodyguard for the Exalt?" she bites her lip before continuing. "It's just that she's always wanted to protect the one who represents peace, so I was just wondering if there would be any chance of the opportunity for her."

"Huh, I'll have to ask Emm about it, but I'm sure that she would at least consider it, if not that then something that keeps her close at hand." I give her a meaningful look. "However, it would mean she would possibly never really get to see you."

She smiles sadly. "I understand that, but by protecting the Exalt, she would also be much safer from my father, and you never know what the Mad King would do to provoke a war. Besides, I've taught her enough about Plegian tactics that she could easily handle herself and a group of others in a worst case scenario."

I huff. "A valuable asset, indeed. It will be discussed when I see her in private, have no fear."

"Thank you, Chrom." And with that, Frederick mounts up, pulls Lissa into the saddle in front of him, and we set off, Virion following along with us silently as we follow the settled dust left by Sully on the road once again.

Ylisstol, in the castle

Sophia POV

"Sully?" she turns to me with gentle eyes. "Is Exalt Emmeryn as gentle as the stories say she is?"

A twinkle of mirth glows in her eyes. "Even more so. She lets us do what we must to protect life and give out justice, and she has healed this country more than you could imagine." She smiles at me. "Why, are you an admirer?"

"Yeah, kinda. She represents peace, and as much as I seem to reject it, I want to protect it." I look at the ground shyly, tucking my hands into my ripped cape behind me. "I'm grateful to her, cuz when she ended the war, my dad came home, before the bandits killed him." I look at her again. "He got the chance to find his peace before he died, and so many never got that chance in the war."

"Something I wish more fathers and brothers could have found." A gentle voice approaches us from behind, and we turn to find the Exalt herself, smiling gently at us. We both bow to her, and she hums in acknowledgement. "Sully, who is this young lady you have with you?"

"A new recruit, she saved our hides last night in the forest in an attack." Sully pats my shoulder roughly. "She also wields those nasty dark tomes that we have no use for."

"Interesting for such a young person. Tell me, what is your name?" Emmeryn regards me with interest and as an equal.

"Sophia, your ladyship. My cousin is with your siblings, and will be back in Ylisstol in a couple of hours." I glance to her face, seeing the brand clearly displayed on her forehead, before looking back to the ground.

She places her fingers on my chin, gently lifting my gaze back to her. "Sophia, you need not be quite so formal, I am not one to favor such formalities that would keep me from treating my people as equals." I smile at her as she taps my nose, something that always puts a smile on my face. "So you've been recruited by my brother as a part of his Shepherds?"

"Yes, milady, though I only joined in hopes of finding my cousin, the new tactician."

She smiles. "A dedicated relation. And now what do you wish to do? Will you stay with the Shepherds, or would you rather do something else?"

I bite my lip, hope filling my eyes. "I've dreamed of being in your personal guard, but I know you already have more than enough wonderful guards…" I trail off.

"Sully said you wield dark tomes, and your cousin is a tactician, correct?" she asks, to which I nod in response. "I would like to see exactly how you would fare in both close combat against weapons with the guards, then see your control of magic."

I smile widely at her. "Chrom said he wanted to have a Shepherd named Miriel present to oversee my magical testing when Lissa asked for a demonstration."

She nods. "A wise choice, as she has been wanting to study the effects of the dark tomes. However, I must ask that you both retire for now while I make the arrangements for your examination." She looks me up and down very quickly, then turns to Sully. "Would you be so kind as to find some clothes for Sophia to wear until we have prepared a more suitable wardrobe, Sully?"

"Of course!" Sully salutes Emmeryn, nods to me, then wanders off in the direction we came from.

Emmeryn waves to Sully, then turns back to me. "I will show you to the tailor so that we can get your wardrobe made as quickly as possible, then I must ask that you rest in the barracks."

"Okay." I'm so excited that I can barely think past the fact I am with my idol, but I keep myself from bouncing around by wearing a giant smile. "Thank you so much, I'm sure you're busy."

"It is no trouble, I found myself bored with a free day. Besides, making you this happy is a reward in itself."

Chrom POV

I walk into the barracks to find Robin talking with Sumia and Vaike, while Lissa is off to the side with Sully and Maribelle, having an animated discussion. "Hey Captain!" Sully shouts, to which I nod back to her.

Robin panics, putting a finger to her lips. "Shhh! Sophia's gonna-"

"SON OF A- OW! THAT HURT!" her voice silences us.

"Then you better learn not to swear." Miriel's voice scolds in return to the shouting.

Sophia charges into the room barefoot, wearing breeches and a loose shirt, one of the sleeves rolled up to reveal a long gash up her forearm. "I don't ever want her treating my injuries again."

Of course, to add to the rapidly increasing drama, Miriel walking in, carrying a needle and thread. "Come now, you need stitches on that injury." She tries to grab the angry girl, who nimbly slides under a table, stopping crouched on the other sided. "Stop fighting me and it'll be less painful."

"I wouldn't be in pain if you hadn't distracted the guard. And I don't need stitches, a bandage works just as well."

I blink and rub my eyes before I clear my throat. "Will someone please tell me what just happened?"

A small chuckle comes from behind me, recognizable as Emm. "Well Chrom, Miriel walked in on Sophia's close combat assessment an hour ago, and the guard slipped up, accidentally running into her, knocking them both to the ground. The guard is fine, but Sophia fell on a piece of glass that cut her arm." She then frowns at Miriel. "I don't understand why you didn't bring her to me, I would have healed the wound immediately." Emm walks around the table to Sophia, pulling out a healing staff. With a quick wave, the wound closes, and the patient relaxes somewhat.

"Forgive me, milady, but I wished to experiment with non-magical remedies." Miriel adjusts her glasses with a frown. "I had not anticipated such animosity or resistance to my attempts." She then sniffs. "However, I must bring it to your attention her grievous vocabulary and temper."

Sophia rolls her eyes and huffs at Miriel. "I wouldn't have gone off on you if you had warned me or if you had just listened to me in the first place and let me be. And as for my language, that shouldn't be any of your concern, I only swear when I'm either hurt or angry."

"As we have duly noted, dear." Maribelle steps forward, wrapping an arm around the girl. "Now, let's just calm down now and take a breath." She guides our youngest member to a seat, where she pours some tea for both of them.

"Aww, Maribelle! You've taken a liking to her also?" Lissa smiles at them, to which I roll my eyes with Emm.

" _Anyway_ , we have a voluntary mission to Regna Ferox tomorrow." I interrupt, before the fighting begins for who gets to fawn over Sophia.

"Ah, right, thank you Chrom." Everyone in the room goes quiet as Frederick comes in to stand beside me, paying full attention to Emm. "Due to the threat, I am asking that a group of Shepherds, led by Chrom, represent me to the Khans of Regna Ferox in a diplomatic mission to ask for aid in soldiers in the event that a war does break out between Ylisse and Plegia once more."

"This is strictly voluntary for all but Sophia, by the way." I wink at said girl, who nods in acknowledgment. "Anyone else, you may come or stay." All but Maribelle opt to go, as she reminds us she has duties in Themis she will be returning to in a few days. "Alright, everyone pack accordingly, and get to bed early, we leave an hour after dawn." Everyone but Maribelle, Robin, and Sophia scramble to prepare for the journey north tomorrow.

Emm clears her throat delicately. "Robin and Sophia, would you both please accompany Chrom and I for a moment?" the cousins follow us into the hallway, and we take a stroll to the gardens, where we will not be disturbed or overheard by anyone. "Robin, I was hoping that you could inform me of what you have taught Sophia in regards to weapons and tome use."

Robin taps her chin in thought, rolling her eyes to look up to the evening sky. "I've drilled her in just about every tome we could get our hands on, from the weakest wind and fire tomes to ones that I can't even use. As for weapons, she is deadly with her daggers alone, can handle the use of the axe and sword exceptionally, but is not very good with a bow. Then again, I have never used a bow, so I couldn't help with that department."

Emm seems impressed. "That explains why the guards were faring so poorly earlier."

"Milady, if I may ask, why do you ask?"

Emm has a smile fighting its way onto her face. "Regardless of how her magical testing goes, I have decided that Sophia will be my personal bodyguard."

Smiles break over all of our faces as Emm finally shares her decision, which she hadn't even told me yet. "Thank you!" Sophia hugs Emm tightly, laughing and crying all at once, the happiest I have seen her since we met just a few days ago. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Had to end this chapter on a happier note, as things are going that way, since I tried a mocha madness from tropical smoothie café today and I did not get decaf, so yeah! I finally got the coffee!

Shout outs to a couple of reviewers, as I promised forever ago, as follows:

AquaticSilver: thank you so much for bringing up Tharja, I hadn't really put much thought into the competition between her, Sophia, and Chrom for Robin's attention. Just know things are gonna get real interesting whenever I get up to the meeting point. And thank you for your thoughts on my proposal for the storylines, it helped me a lot.

Drake Vallion: While I do like the idea of time travelers, I'm not so sure of how I would do it. I mean, if you message me, we could discuss this matter further, and come up with some more OCs, as I only have the main storyline about to seriously diverge at this point. I am still open to your ideas, and if you emphasize your thoughts, I may use your idea.

Laststarwarrior: You know, I had thought about her having a child from the future, but I'm kinda scared at the idea of what the personality would be like, and how would poor Lucina deal with a totally bipolar cousin? I'm fairly sure I will have her have a child come from the future, but things with be extremely crazy when another child gets thrown into the mix. Message me if you want to discuss something about any other couples, but head's up for any who bother to read this particular note, this is staying a ChromxRobin story, and all other pairings are open for me to mess with.

Everyone, thank you for your reviews, and once again, I do not own Fire Emblem Awakening.


	6. Chapter 6

Robin POV

 _I walk along the road silently with Sophia at my side, looking around at the shadows in a nervous habit as I feel as though we are being followed. I never tell her what the real cause of my fears is, hoping to spare her from my own fears._

 _She signals for me to stop, pointing at a pillar of smoke on the horizon, black and looming over our destination. "Do we go on or investigate?"_

" _Investigate." We pick up our pace, jogging for a few minutes before we crest the hill, only to find a burned out village, bodies of its inhabitants everywhere, the homes destroyed, and nobody left alive. "It must have been bandits."_

 _Suddenly, we fall, and we land on the back of a dragon, and the entire Shepherd force is in front of me, looks of hatred, fear, and betrayal directed at me. "How could you?!" Frederick shouts from the front of their lines._

" _Easily. We accepted our fate. Now DIE!" Sophia, lifting Grima's Truth, sends a ball of dark energy at them. I try to scream for them to move, but I can do nothing but laugh at their horror._

I gasp, flinching as the light of a candle hits my eyes from the bedside table. Tears well in my eyes as I bury my head in my pillow, suppressing a sob. A knock on the door makes me sit upright, wiping my face. "Who is it?" I call hoarsely.

"Me, Sophia." Her voice trembles as she calls back. "Can I come in?"

"Yeah, it's open." She comes in, and I instantly get out of bed, pulling her into a hug. Her eyes are wide, tear-filled, and her whole body is shaking. "What happened?"

She buries her face in my shoulder, trying to breathe. "Nightmares. I- I used Grima's Truth… and I aimed to kill them… I wanted to scream, or warn them, b-but I couldn't do anything… I'm so scared, it felt so real…"

Chrom comes to stand in the doorway, barefoot and running a hand through his hair. "Is everything alright?" he leans into the doorframe. "I thought I heard something."

I shake my head. "Just a nightmare, then she came here from one of her own. It's nothing Chrom, go back to bed."

He frowns, but eventually nods when Sophia loosens her grip slightly. "If you're sure you don't want to talk about it." He reaches for the door. "Try to get a bit more sleep." He shuts the door, then we listen to his footsteps until another door down the hall opens and shuts.

I guide Sophia to sit on my bed next to me, then she rests her head on my shoulder. I absentmindedly run my fingers through her long hair. "I think we had the same dream." I finally whisper to her, certain nobody is listening. "If this is the kind of thing Marth was warning us about, then we have to ensure that never happens."

She moves her head off my shoulder, looking me in the eye. "But how do you know that it's ever even going to happen? What if it was just a bad dream?"

I sigh, and crawl back under my blankets. "I don't know anything for sure, but just to be safe, we have to be careful." I lift the blanket for her to join me. "You can spend the night here, but is it alright that you came alone? I would have thought you would be with Lady Emmeryn."

"She found me kicking around in my bed and sent me here when I wouldn't stop crying." She hides her face in my pillow, and I pull her close.

"That was very kind of her." I kiss the top of her head. "Just go to sleep, I won't let you have any more nightmares tonight." She hums in understanding and we both rapidly fall back into the realm of dreams.

Morning

I wake up to a soft knock on my door before it opens, revealing Lissa fully dressed. "Hey, time to get up if you want to catch breakfast." She whispers, apparently aware of my guest.

I raise my head and nod. "Thanks, I'll be there shortly." She shuts the door, and I flop down for another moment, realizing it's not even dawn yet. Sophia stirs slightly, so I shush her, letting her go back to sleep. I then climb out of bed, ordering the sheets neatly so the bed stays a bit warmer without my presence, then go to the chest at the bottom of my bed. I pull out the plain breeches and shirt that are so similar to my old ones that I can only tell they are new by the fact that the fabric is soft and unwrinkled.

Once I'm fully dressed, I write out a note to Sophia, letting her know where I am just in case she wakes up before we leave to head north, then another to Lady Emmeryn to thank her for sending her to me last night. With a kiss on Sophia's forehead, I put the second note in a pocket of my coat with my tomes and leave, shutting the door carefully behind me. I sigh as I go down to the mess hall, finding the rest of the sleepy Shepherds eating a large breakfast served to them by a young mage dressed similarly to Miriel.

Chrom is the first to notice my arrival. "Good morning. Sleep well?"

"Better than I thought I would, thanks." I turn to the younger boy. "And who is this?"

He smiles cheerfully at me. "I'm Ricken, I recently joined the Shepherds. Aren't you the new tactician?"

I return the smile. "Robin." We shake hands, then I grab a plate and fill it up with a muffin, bacon, and eggs, taking a seat next to Lissa across from Ricken. "So, what do you do?"

"I'm a mage, although I haven't been on any missions yet. I help out a lot around the castle whenever I can though." He fills a cup with some juice before he goes on. "I heard you have a cousin who is the Exalt's new bodyguard."

I shake my head, chuckling lightly. "Yeah, she got her dream job." I then bite my lip. "Would you happen to know anything about the threats she could be up against?"

He frowns in thought. "Nothing off-hand. But I was hoping I would get to meet her sometime, Miriel said she was a Shepherd for all of two days before landing her new job."

I glare at Chrom, who chuckles nervously. "Word travels fast, at least they all think she's an adult."

I bury my face in my hands. "Please, if any deity is listening, don't let her get caught up in politics." I mumble before looking back at him. "How is it that Sophia got approved for her position with your court anyway? She's only thirteen and specializes in killing, for Naga's sake."

Ricken chokes on his drink as a tired yawn comes from the doorway. "How old?!" he splutters, not realizing Sophia just walked in. I note she is wearing her black skirt and a loose white shirt with her well used boots.

"I'm thirteen, get over it." She plods over to me and sits down, pouring herself a cup of water.

He gapes, staring between her and Chrom. "You let her join at thirteen, Captain?"

He sighs. "Ricken, she had a good reason, and I wouldn't let her go wandering off without some sort of adult supervision."

We both snicker at the mention, to everyone else's confusion. "Did you ever explain that one to them?" I ask her.

"Nope, figured you should be allowed to explain your own joke." She pokes my cheek before she swipes my muffin, taking a big bite out of it.

"Hey!" I try to reach for the treat, but she moves it out of my reach. "Get your own muffin!"

They all laugh at my expense a she takes another bite out of my food. "There's more on the tray. Besides, I know you hate blueberries, and that's what you grabbed."

My mouth drops open as I realize that's true, before I blush madly, only furthering everyone else's laughter. "We-well th-thanks, then." I stutter, reaching for a cinnamon muffin this time.

She finishes off the food before she refills her drink. "So, Ricken, what were you about to say about me when I walked in?" she asks calmly, but causes Ricken to choke on his drink again.

When he catches his breath, he blushes. "I just have a hard time believing the rumors I heard about you."

She raises an eyebrow, reaching for another muffin. "Such as?"

He clears his throat nervously, and I eye Sophia myself, suspicious of her extremely calm behavior. "You wield dark tomes, you come from Plegia, and you were a mercenary, those kinds of things."

She freezes and closes her eyes, and I scoot away from her ever so slightly, fearing the worst. "Who?"

He gulps loudly. "Uh, some guards? I don't know their names."

I look to Chrom, begging him to do something before things escalate any further. He sighs and addresses both youngsters. "Listen, they are just rumors. Only the fact you wield dark magic is true, the rest is obviously made up."

I look at him. "They might have gotten the subjects mixed up in those rumors then, though nobody said anything about a country of origin. I was coincidentally born in Plegia, but my mother took me away as soon as she could, so I have no ties. And Sophia lived in an isolated border town, which my mother was from."

Everybody at the table frowns, but then Ricken reaches out, tapping Sophia's hand gently, but she obviously flinches at the contact. "Just ignore most of what you hear, it's mostly from people who are nosy and have nothing better to do than to make up interesting lies to spread around. Your standing with the Exalt won't be affected, if that's what your concern is."

She give Ricken the tiniest of smiles. "And you sound more mature than you look. How old are you, anyway?"

He grins and adjusts his enormous hat. "I just turned sixteen last month, actually." He then puts his hands on the table again. "Anyway, Lady Emmeryn was wanting me to observe when she had your magical control assessment this morning, while Miriel conducts it. Would it be okay if you could help me with mastering my stronger wind tomes? They're really tricky, and reading the process is way too different from having a real teacher walk you through the process."

"I'll ask the Exalt if I can have some time to do that with you this afternoon." She glances out the window, then rolls her eyes. "Chrom, it's already half an hour past dawn."

He then chokes on his bite of muffin, setting us all to laughing once more.

Okay, I know this is fairly short, but I wanted to get out an early update since I am going to be out of it this weekend. Thanks for reading, and please review with whatever thoughts you may want brought to my attention for the shout outs. And thanks for the reviews of the last chapter, people! (you know who you are!)

I do not own Fire Emblem Awakening


	7. Chapter 7

Robin POV

"Gods, these things are annoying!" I screech as I run the last Risen through with my bronze sword.

Chrom takes one look at me and shakes his head. "That they are. But look on the bright side, there wasn't a chief for us to deal with like the last time."

I sigh, sheathing my blade. "True, I must admit." I look around, relieved that the only injuries suffered were minor scratches, already being taken care of by Lissa. "Chrom, do you think there is something off about all of these Risen?"

H shakes his head, clearly confused. "If you tell me what you're thinking I might be able to help that train of thought."

I frown, trying to organize my thoughts so they can be easily conveyed. "Well, I'm not quite sure how to put this, but it's almost like they were placed to stop us. And also… they were trying to separate me from the rest of the Shepherds."

He puts a hand on Falchion's hilt, giving a grunt in thought. "Well, the part of stopping us implies that Plegia has some way of controlling them. But as for separating you from us…" he gives a shrug. "I don't know what to make of that. Have any ideas of your own?"

I clench my gloved right hand, thinking of my brand. "I have one motive, if they are being controlled by the Grimleal."

"You know, Sophia mentioned something about that when we met." I bite my lip. "Is there anything you want to tell me?"

"Nothing worth mentioning at the moment. If it becomes pertinent, I'll let you in on it."

He opens his mouth to reply, but then Frederick approaches, leading his great armored horse behind him. "Milord, it is getting on in the afternoon. Would you have us march a while longer, or use the daylight to set up camp and get settled for the night?"

"I would say we should march on, but we need to rest after that fight. Tell everyone to set up for the night." Frederick nods and wanders off. Chrom then returns his attention to me, giving me a long look before he sighs. "Whenever you're ready to share, I'll be waiting to hear it."

I give him a small smile. "Thanks."

Sophia POV

Ricken guides me to a practice court by the Shepherd's barracks after the meeting with Lady Emmeryn. "Hey, Ricken?" he turns to me with a smile. "What do you… honestly think of me?"

He frowns in confusion. "What do you mean? I think you're a wonderful person."

I sigh. "It's just that… all day people have been staring at me, and when they think I'm not looking, they make faces at me… and pretend to like me if I talk to them." I keep my gaze on the ground, walking alongside him to our destination. "You don't have to pretend to like me, if you feel the same way."

He grabs my hand and squeezes. "I say they're all just jealous. I mean, think about it. You set one foot in the castle, and you're already the center of the Exalt's attention and her new favorite bodyguard." I lift my gaze to his face, and he smiles genuinely at me. "I don't think I could ever hate you, let alone dislike you."

I finally smile. "Thanks, that means a lot more than you think." I close my eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath before looking at him again with a full-on grin. "Now, which tomes are giving you problems?"

His face scrunches in thought as he remembers their names. "Arcwind and Forseti. I have a basic grasp of Elwind, but I can't even get Rexcalibur under control."

I whistle. "Those were very tough ones for me to master as well, in comparison with the rest of the tomes." I notice we have reached our destination. "Would you like me to give a demonstration so you can mark your progress?"

"Yes please! That would be perfect, since I could see exactly how to fix what I'm doing wrong! Just let me go fetch the tomes from my room." He charges off, hat nearly flying off in his excitement.

I shake my head, smiling, as I sit in the grass to await his return. I close my eyes for but a second when I hear a slight rustle come from behind me. "You have five seconds to reveal yourself before I force you to do so willingly."

A grumbled curse comes from the bush, and Marth stands up, brushing off dust from his outfit. "How did you know I was there?"

"I heard the slightest rustle, and there was no breeze to warrant the sound. May I know why you are here?" I run my eyes over his form, then smirk. "And you don't need to pretend to be a male, you're most definitely a girl. Care to drop the mask?"

A sigh escapes from Marth as she takes off the mask. "Nobody can know that I am here." She has a pretty face, marred by a grief in her eyes, one of which bears the brand of the Exalt.

I glance around, not spotting anybody. "You've got maybe another minute before he comes back, so maybe you should just hide until night falls. We can talk then."

She nods, and crouches down again, just in time for Ricken to return with all of his Wind tomes. "Sorry it took so long, Sophia. I couldn't find an old standard Wind tome for you to warm up with on a first glance."

I chuckle a bit, glad for the consideration. "Thanks for going to that much trouble. Now, what order would you like to go through these tomes?"

We spend the next two hours of daylight going through each spell, and I find that Ricken is much better than he thinks he is, it is just his nerves that betray him from using the Rexcalibur tome. "So, all I need to do is focus on what I want, and picturing the proper use in my mind will help?"

I shrug. "It's how I've been doing it this whole time, and if you progress fast enough, you'll even be able to critically injure an opponent fairly soon." I look up to see the last dregs of sunlight are fading, and the stars are beginning to come out. "You should probably go get cleaned up, then get something to eat."

"What about you, Sophia? Aren't you in need of going for dinner as well?"

I shake my head. "I'll be in shortly, I just need to practice with my daggers for a bit longer before I can relax for the day."

"Alright, just don't be too long. Will you come to eat in the Shepherd's mess?" his eyes light up in hope as his cheeks gain a slight dusting of pink.

My own cheeks feel slightly warm in response. "Sure. I'll be there in a bit." I watch as he leaves the courtyard, and listen for his footsteps to be completely gone before I turn back to the bushes. "Sorry for keeping you waiting, Marth, if that's your real name, which I highly doubt."

An exasperated sigh comes from the bushes. "You are very sharp. Just like I suspected." She rises again, and her blue hair cascades over her shoulders in a tangled mess. "And it's alright, the wait was worth watching your skill in person."

"So, what is it that brings you to Ylisstol in broad daylight?" I ask with one brow raised.

She bites her lip. "I wanted to warn you… I won't be Chrom's favorite person soon, as I will hopefully be the opposing champion for when he goes for the alliance with Regna Ferox. Also, I wanted to thank you for taking up protecting Lady Emmeryn."

I feel my face burning up. "It's nothing to be thanking me for, it's just something I've always dreamed of." I take a closer look at her face, and more closely at her left eye, where her brand is. "Although, I would like to know who you really are and how you look a lot like a certain Captain we are both familiar with?"

She winces under my scrutiny. "Definitely should've thought this through a bit more." She mumbles under her breath. She sighs and looks to the ground, then reaches for the sword belted on her waist. "My name is Lucina, Chrom's daughter from the future. A future in which the nightmare you and Robin shared was a reality." I gasp and turn away from her, hiding my face. "All I know is that you were both being controlled by Grima, and because of that, neither of you are at fault."

I take a shaking breath. "I would never kill the Shepherds. I would die before I would do it."

"That's the thing… Aunt Sophia… you were executed, and your body used against them."

I squeeze my eyes shut and force myself to breath. "Who, and when?"

"Soon, by King Gangrel for war crimes against Plegia, and more specifically, the Grimleal Clergy. All I know are stories of you from my time, and that the world rallied in your memory to end the war." She turns me around to face her. "I want to get to know you, and prevent my future from happening. We know that you would have never done those things of your own accord, and want to stop you from ever feeling this pain." She pulls me into her, and we wrap our arms around each other.

"Lucina, you are amazing, and I hope that when Chrom finds out who you really are to him, he will be proud of you and all you have done for us." I pull away, finally calm. "You have my word, nobody will know about what we have spoken of until you wish to share it, and I will do everything in my power to prevent your future from occurring."

"Thank you, Aunt Sophia." We giggle at that. "It's so strange, calling you Aunt when in this time you're just thirteen."

"I don't care, you can address me as Aunt or not as you wish to, just be careful that we are alone when you do say it." I pull her into another hug. "Be careful on your journey, alright? I want to see you whole and healthy again soon."

"I promise… Sophia." She puts on her mask once again, then vanishes into the darkness, and hopefully to a journey to save us from my nightmares.

Okay, quite a twist here, and all because I finished one last assignment before a full week of chillaxin' and story writing! I will consider all ideas offered, and would love to hear any thoughts you may have in a review.

I do not own Fire Emblem Awakening.


	8. Chapter 8

Okay, before we get started here, there is going to be a minor time skip, cuz I am too uncreative to do anything with the fights at Regna Ferox, so just go with the original version of what happened after the fight with the Risen on the road there, then they return to Ylisstol. This is where we will pick up now.

Robin POV

"Ah, good to be back in a warmer climate, isn't it Lissa?" I smile at the princess, who rolls her eyes at me.

"I prefer to think of it as good to be home." She mutters as we gather our belongings from the supply wagon. "I just want to catch up with how Sophia is adjusting to big city life."

Panting and running footsteps approach us, and I turn to see a pale Sophia trying to catch her breath. I note she is wearing a new outfit, a sleeveless blue dress reaching to her knees with an armored bodice and chain mail under the skirt. "Speaking of her, hi. Miss us that much?" I smile at her, but she shakes her head and looks around. "What's wrong?"

"Emm sent me to fetch you both, Frederick and Chrom to the throne room as fast as possible, and to advise everyone else not to get too comfortable." She grabs us and drags us to the two men at another wagon, emptying it of training equipment. "Chrom, Frederick, Emm needs to see us all right now."

They stare at Sophia for but a moment, then nod. She lets go of Lissa and I, and we all follow her, noting her rigid posture and pale face. We walk along silently, trying to figure out what has her so anxious, until we round a corner, where Ricken runs right into Sophia, almost knocking her over. Before anyone else can react, he catches her with an arm around her waist and a hand on her arm, steadying her for a moment, catching his breath.

"I'm sorry about that, Soph. I just heard about what happened, and came looking for you guys. Mind if I tag along?" she nods to his request, and she even relaxes slightly. As we continue, I glance at Chrom, who looks highly amused at the interaction.

"I have no choice but to ask this, but what have you two been up to since we left?" Frederick asks, and I silently agree that I want to know what is going on between these two.

"Training, and some other mischief, but nothing serious." Ricken is the one to answer, and I see that a glint of inspiration sparks in his eyes. "Oh look, we're here."

As soon as we walk into the throne room, the tension in the air is so thick it could be cut with a knife, and there is just my group, Emmeryn, and Captain Phila present. I straighten up as the Exalt addresses Chrom.

"I trust that you have gained the support of the Khans?"

"Yes, once diplomacy was set aside, of course. But Emm, why is there such a rush to meet here the moment we arrive?" I see Sophia clench her hands into fists, and see the fight to control her rage in her eyes.

"There was a bandit attack in Themis a day ago, and we just received word from King Gangrel that Lady Maribelle is in his custody, and is being held for crossing into Plegia without permission." Lissa gasps and wobbles on her feet, unsteady in shock. "He is offering a parley, and I am going to accept. I wish for the Shepherds to escort e there and be ready for anything he might try."

Face paling slightly, Chrom nods and turns to me. "Let's see if we can head out this afternoon, alright?"

I nod and think about what we need. "We will just grab a few more weapons and tomes, restock the food supplies, and grab a few extra tents. That should be all we need to set out on such short notice." I turn to Lady Emmeryn again. "I will take care of the arrangements and alert the Shepherds, while you and your guard assemble as you see fit."

"Thank you, Robin. We will be ready to leave as soon as possible." Recognizing the dismissal, I walk out of there quickly, then start running back to the barracks to get my tasks done.

Sophia POV

I swing my new cape over my shoulders, fastening the iron clasp in front of my neck, then pick up my bag with two extra outfits and my tomes neatly packed, and walk out of my small room, finding Emm's bag all set with healing and rescue staves poking out of hers.

"All set to go?" I ask.

She looks up and gives me a weary smile. "As I'll ever be, I guess. I just pray that this will be sorted out without much fuss."

I nod. "I hope so, but from what I know of the Mad King, the Pegasus Knights may have to take you away very quickly, regardless of what you can say to him" I pick up her bag and walk out of the suite behind her, but as we reach the supply wagons, Captain Phila grabs my shoulder. "Yes, Captain?"

She gives me a stern look. "I want you to stay behind."

I gape at her, disbelieving. "Phila, why do you wish that she remains behind? We could use her skill in a worst case scenario." Emm asks, possibly as bewildered as me.

"She is just too young for this, and more violently inclined. This is a diplomatic trip, and I do not want Lady Maribelle's safety jeapordized by any rash actions." I looks at me. "I am sorry, but I do not want to risk you. Stay here and behave yourself." Phila then climbs onto her Pegasus, then assists Emm into the saddle behind her.

Numbly, I set Emm's bag into the wagon, but keep mine in hand. Without looking back at the assembled group, I head into the Shepherd's mess, and find Ricken sitting in the empty room with his own bag next to him. "You too?" he asks, to which I nod. He pats the seat next to him, which a take with a grumble of thanks.

We sit there for a while, listening to the Shepherds chatter, then their departure, leaving a daunting silence. "What's your reason for being left behind?" I ask hours later, as we still remain where we found each other.

"Chrom doesn't want to risk me yet, as I'm still too young and an apprentice mage. What about you? I would never have thought anything could separate you from the Exalt."

I sigh and rub my eyes. "Phila thinks I'm too young and too rash for this mission. And the sad part?" he raises his eyebrows. "She doubts me still, and treats me as a child, even though she has heard of all I've done to survive." I look at Ricken, and see the understanding in his eyes. "Chrom is just unaware of your progress, and you are strong enough to be on this mission. They need us there, I just know Maribelle will need us, and they will need another healer if Emm is taken away as fast as I think she will be."

"I can get us enough rations for the trip, but it'll be lean pickings. I just need twenty minutes, then we can sneak out the back door." Ricken puts a hand on my shoulder. "Whether they like it or not, we're going to be there and prove them wrong."

I put my hand over his. "Thanks, Ricken."

Robin POV

"Is there a different route there that could save us time?" Chrom asks late that night at our meeting.

I rub my eyes. "The path we are on is the safest option we have at the moment. All other routes I would rather us be taking are impassable, and too narrow for the wagons." I groan. "I wish we had more mages, then we could send them to clear the path, or at least to send another small party up the cliffs."

Emmeryn looks guilty at this. "Forgive me, but I allowed Phila's judgement to leave us short by Sophia for this mission. I had been counting on having her with us for the mission."

"I had been too. If anything, she may have had better insight as to anticipating what the Mad King will resort to."

"Well, what's done is done. She's not here, so we will make do with the people we have present." Chrom puts a hand on Falchion. "What do you think will happen when we get there?"

I stifle a yawn and glare at the map. "There's no telling. He is unpredictable, even by professional standards, and will do whatever it takes to win a battle." I look up to the royal siblings. "Look, none of us are really awake anymore, so we can discuss this further tomorrow. If our planning is right, we should arrive at the border the morning after tomorrow, with any luck."

They nod and head back to the tent they share with their respective groups. As soon as they are gone, I blow out my candle and fall into bed, not bothering to change my clothes.

Ricken POV

"Soph, how much further are we gonna go for tonight? I can barely see where I'm walking." I whisper to her, afraid to disturb her from her concentration.

"Just another ten minutes, I hope. I want to find that wyvern that's screeching." She whispers back just as quietly. She walks through the woods and undergrowth without making a single sound, whereas I am not nearly so graceful, stepping on twigs and leaves, though I do try to be quiet.

Within a few minutes, we find a dead wyvern rider in a clearing, his mount still tethered to the body and causing it to make all this racket. "Well, I see why it's yelling."

"Ricken, why don't you get started on a fire, I'll try to calm her down." I take her bag from her and set about gathering wood, keeping an eye on her as she unties the rope from the dead man, then loosens the knot from the creature's foot as I calms down. "There you go, that's better, isn't it sweetie." She coos to the giant beast, which nuzzles her affectionately. The reptilian flier is calmed down after twenty agonizing minutes, and Sophia joins me at the small fire I have crackling merrily, cooking a rabbit she killed earlier. "What should we name her?"

I look to the beast, who eyes me warily, as if wondering if she can eat me and get away with it. "How about Hazard?"

"Hm, I dunno, maybe Jade? She does have green eyes." The wyvern lays down next to her, nudging Sophia's hand until it rests on her head. "I never thought that wyverns were so… sweet."

I smile and offer her a piece of rabbit, which she happily accepts. "I've read somewhere that when a wyvern finds its true rider, they turn into snugglers."

We eat the rabbit, and wind up feeding half of it to Jade, who comes to allowing me to stroke her face lightly. Once we've eaten all of it, Jade settles down and immediately goes on alert watching the forest around us. I bank the fire, then lay down next to Sophia, who pulls up her hood and curls up under her cape.

"Good night, Ricken." She mumbles, already half asleep.

"Good night." I close my eyes and almost immediately fall asleep.

Okay, mostly a fluff chapter around Ricken and Sophia, but this is critical for the story in the next chapter and a bit down the road.

I do not own Fire Emblem Awakening.


	9. Chapter 9

Chrom POV

"Robin, up there!" I whisper, pointing up to a point on the cliff next to Gangrel, where a bandit is holding an axe to Maribelle's throat, keeping her silent throughout the exchange between the Mad King and Emm. "Is there anybody that could get up to her quickly enough to save her?"

She frowns in concentration. "I don't know if Sumia could get there in time. Had I known how Gangrel would arrange his forces, I could have sent someone earlier to back her up. If only we had a wyvern…"

"This parley is over!" Gangrel shouts, and my attention is focused on the soldier approaching, axe ready to strike Emm.

I charge forward, meeting the axe with Falchion, then pushing the weapon away, opening his defense. Without hesitating, I slash his chest, killing him instantly. "Stay back, if you value your lives!"

Gangrel laughs like the madman he is. "Now that's a declaration of war if I've ever heard one!"

Aversa approaches Maribelle, and whatever she says seems to end her will to fight.

Sophia POV

"Shit, Aversa's there!" I look behind me to face Ricken. "She's gonna be tough, so just get Maribelle and run towards the Shepherds!"

"What about you?!" fear is evident in his gaze, even as he prepares to jump down.

"Aversa needs a distraction!" I aim Jade downwards, and throw a bolt from my Elthunder tome at the person holding Maribelle at the same time Ricken throws a gust of wind from his Elwind tome. The man falls, his axe not even touching his hostage. "Now!" Ricken throws himself off of Jade, and lands crouched next to Maribelle, grabbing her hand and charging towards the slope, where a detachment of Shepherds is already making their way up.

"You little brat!" Aversa charges a spell from her Goetia tome, just as I throw one from my open Flux tome. She stumbles from the force rather than the strength of the spell, as I only want her attention. "Ugh, how are you still alive?!"

"Nice to see you too, bitch!" I throw spell after spell at her from atop Jade, who I keep constantly moving to avoid stray wind spells and arrows sent my way. I glance aside to see Maribelle and Ricken join forces with the Shepherds, then throw one last spell at Aversa, more focused and powerful than my previous spells. "Tell Validar hell is waiting for him and his precious Grima!" I then aim Jade skyward, out of range of anything that may come my way, and then dive down to aid Chrom and Robin, knocking down five soldiers with a spell from my Flux tome once again.

"Thank the gods you showed up when you did!" Chrom shouts, cutting down the last of the enemy soldiers. "But… where did you get a wyvern?"

I dismount with a wince, then Jade turns to nuzzle me. "Ricken and I found her the other night, with her dead master still tied to her." The silly dragon snuffles my hair, blowing back the poorly secured hood.

"Sophia!" Robin whines. "How is it that you always find the sweet strays?"

"I dunno, how do you always get the crazy ones?" I smirk at her, rubbing the space between Jade's eyes.

She sighs dramatically. "Well, you have a lot to answer for now, young lady, I hope you realize that."

"I know, but it was so worth it! You should have seen Aversa's face when she saw I'm still alive and causing trouble!" I laugh, and Chrom just looks at me like I have two heads.

"Is she even alive after that light show?" he asks after a minute.

I sigh. "Ah, if she is, then I can't wait to do that again." I then look up to the sky, seeing her flying away on her own wyvern. "Besides, I was just distracting her."

Phila marches up to me, livid with rage. "What the hell are you doing here?! I strictly told you to remain behind!"

"Phila, peace." Emm stands behind her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Were it not for her and Ricken's timely arrival, I fear that Lady Maribelle would not have survived this incursion."

The woman takes a calming breath and relaxes slightly. "I understand, but still, it was an incredibly dangerous stunt." She lowers her gaze, but addresses me. "Forgive me for my rash outburst, Sophia. It was uncalled for."

I shake my head. "I knew you would be angry at first, but I had to follow along." I glance at Robin and Chrom, who are both relieved that the whole thing blew over so easily. "We have a war coming now, and if Aversa's presence means anything, the Grimleal will be coming after us."

Robin pales slightly, and Emm nods sadly. "Indeed. We should make haste to return to the capital, and make plans to protect our people."

Once we are on the road back, I pull Robin up onto Jade's back behind me and fly up above the ground troops. "Robin, they will come directly at us for what we could become. And they will go after the Exalt for providing shelter to us. If they are to attempt catching her, I'll have to take some drastic measures."

She squeezes my shoulder. "What are you thinking?"

I sigh heavily, but remember Lucina. "I've made contact with somebody, but I can't tell you who for a while yet. They warned me, and will help us out if things go the way they fear it will."

"A spy?" she asks, frowning.

"Nobody you need to worry about at the moment, if that's your concern. They are loyal, and want to help us." I assure her. I bite my lip, wishing I could share the rest about Lucina, but hold my silence. It would be better to let time follow its course. "I'll make a charm and fill you in about it later, alright?"

"But what lengths will you go to in order to ensure Emmeryn's safety?"

I face forward, clenching my hand. "Whatever lengths I must." One of her arms tightens around me as I render her speechless.

I guide Jade back down to the Shepherds, my mind clear and sharper than ever before. Hovering over the ground, Robin jumps down and falls back into place next to Chrom. "How was the flight?"

She smiles weakly, but convincingly. "It was alright, I suppose. The view though, that will definitely be something to work past."

I smile and roll my eyes. "I found it entertaining, comparing reactions to flight between you and Ricken. He was so nervous about it yesterday, but then you were totally calm."

Ylisstol, the following night

I go immediately to the training court where I tutored Ricken after dinner, sensing something is amiss about Robin. However, I find Chrom and Robin already there, so I just wave to them and return to Emm's suite. She is picking out a book from her shelf as I enter.

"Hi, Emm. What are you going to read?" I ask her, unable to read the cover myself.

She smiles kindly and offers it to me. "I was actually going to suggest this book to you, I thought you may enjoy it. It's a tale about twins being separated at birth and not knowing until they meet at a masquerade ball. This is not a very dry read either, as you would so kindly put it."

I accept it and look at the title. "' _Not so Different?'_ This already sounds interesting. Thank you."

"You're welcome. There is a meeting I must attend in the throne room, if you would like to set it aside before we go?" She waits while I set the book on my pillow in my adjoining room, then guides me out. "Lady Maribelle will be present, as this has to do with the recent attack on Themis." We arrive to the throne room soon after in silence, finding Captain Phila, the hierarch, and Maribelle waiting for us at the other end of the room.

"Hello, Your Grace. Thank you for meeting with me at such a late hour, as I had some things to settle with the Shepherds before I could come." Maribelle curtsies slightly, and smiles at me, which I return.

"It is no trouble, Maribelle." As Emm is about to continue, the wall to my left explodes, sending me flying and battering me with rubble. "Sophia!" they scream, running to me as I try to get up, failing with a painful coughing fit. Someone waves a staff over me, and the pain immediately vanishes. "Sophia, can you hear me?" Emm bends over me.

I try getting up again, this time succeeding with a hand from her and Maribelle. "I'm fine. But you're in danger." I glare at the hole in the wall, spotting the assassin pulling out his sword. I pull out two of my daggers from my boots, wishing I had a tome with me. "All of you, stay back." With that, I charge to meet my opponent, blocking his upswing with one dagger and burying the second in his neck, killing him. I pull out the blade, releasing a spray of blood that covers me, staining the pretty outfit. I turn back to the room and point behind the thrones. "Hide back there, and stay quiet. I'll guard from here. Captain, guard the door until someone else comes. That was a massive explosion, I'm sure help will be here soon."

They all rush to obey me, Phila grabbing a decorative but serviceable lance from an old suit of armor along the wall. "How long can we hold out?" she shouts as the door suffers impact from the other side, no doubt somebody trying to break it down.

I turn towards another killer coming from my post. "Not long unless we get help." I give a feral scream as I tackle the man, slicing his throat and being drenched in more blood. Another begins to charge, but I throw a dagger into his eye. I grab one of my backup daggers from my boot and stand again as a group of four gathers in front of me, debating the wisdom of fighting against me, with three of their comrades easily killed already by a blood-soaked child.

Thankfully, before they can do anything, a sword is run through one of their torsos, and bolts of lightning take down two others. I throw one of my knives again, lodging it in the throat of the last man. "Thought you could use a hand, Soph." Robin pulls the knife from the man and hands it back to me.

"About time you guys show up." I wipe the blade on my boot before stashing it and retrieving my other thrown blade. "What took you so long?"

Robin turns around and directs the Shepherds into a defensive blockade around the throne room, including Lucina, who mans the door, as Chrom answers. "Had to deal with Marth and a couple of assassins who went after me. She saved my life." He cuts down another assassin, then looks at the hole in the wall, then the tattered state of my bloody clothes. "What in Naga's name happened to you?"

I slice another throat mercilessly. "The wall exploded next to me, and I got a bit battered from the flying rock."

"And the blood?" Frederick asks warily as he approaches from the corridor.

I smirk and dash off the way he came, mauling another assassin. "Theirs, not mine." I see him and Chrom shiver involuntarily as I run to the door, cutting down another person giving Lucina a hard time. "Hi Marth. How you holding up here?"

She hardly spares me a glance as the assassins form a semicircle around us. "Glad for your assistance." She passes me a new Goetia tome. "Thought you might like to use a tome over your daggers, so I took this off a mage earlier in case I found you."

I quickly open the tome and start firing off spells, killing five enemies easily and wounding the other two, who Lucina quickly finishes off. "Thanks for that. Do you know where the leader is?"

"Yeah, he's down a few corridors to the south, in a courtyard." She turns to me, lowering her blade. "It's Validar, the High Priest of the Grimleal. He is the one to raise you where I come from."

I shiver and pale slightly under the blood. "Then I have to stop him now!" I turn around to find Chrom leading Robin and Frederick as well as a thief, who appears to have switched sides, and a taguel, dressed in pinkish leather armor. "Robin, we know who-" evil laughter cuts me off, and I turn around just in time to push Lucina aside from a deadly spell from the tome Grima's truth, narrowly missing it myself.

The evil laughter continues as the dust settles, and a tall mage dressed in the Grimleal sorcerer's outfit looks down at me. "Well, well, fate truly piles on the gifts tonight, now doesn't it? I can personally take the Fire Emblem from that wretched Exalt, and end my years long search." He ends, looking pointedly at Robin and I.

"I won't let that happen!" Chrom levels his sword at Validar.

"No, you want your precious sister to live? Well then, just give me these two and the Emblem, and we'll call it even." He kicks Lucina out of his path, knocking her against the door, and picks me up by the neck.

"You'll have to kill me first, asshole!" I spit a mouthful of saliva in his face and kick at his legs, but he doesn't let me go.

His body shakes with rage as he wipes his face with his sleeve. "That can be easily arranged!" His grip tightens on my neck and I gasp, trying to get air. With his other hand, he throws various other spells at the others, keeping them at bay.

"Not today!" Ricken's voice echoes dimly in my head, before the grip falls away. I cough, clutching my neck as I try to breathe. I barely look up in time to see Lucina and Chrom drive their blades through Validar's cold heart, ending his life.

The second the body hits the floor, Lucina is at my side, trying to soothe me. "It's alright, you're okay." She whispers to me over and over, lifting me to lean against her and rocking side to side gently with me, lulling me into a daze as my breathing evens out.

Chrom POV

As Marth soothes Sophia, I open the doors to the throne room, and almost get impaled by Phila for my trouble. "My lord, forgive me! I didn't realize the fighting was over!"

I shake my head and gesture for her to calm down. "Their leader is dead, though Sophia is probably in need of another healing." At this, Emm and Maribelle come out from behind the throne, hurrying over to us to check over our injuries, at the most being shallow cuts from various blades, with the exception of Sophia's already bruising neck.

"Oh, Sophia, your neck! What happened?" Maribelle cries out, waving her staff over the girl still in Marth's arms.

"She was being strangled, and if not for Ricken, we wouldn't have been able to kill their leader." Marth answers, her voice slightly wavering.

Emm kneels next to her, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Thank you for protecting me tonight, Marth, as well as for saving both of my younger siblings."

She smiles and runs her fingers through Sophia's hair, coming away with a very red hand. "It was my pleasure to help on all occasions, milady."

Maribelle sighs. "There's not much else I can do for this, but breathing should be a bit easier. How do you feel Sophia? Any better?"

Her voice is hoarse, but she nods and answers. "A lot better, thanks." She yawns widely. "Although, that really took it out of me."

Marth smiles and shakes her head. "Well, you may be tired, but you are going to the baths before you can even try going to bed." She gets a groan in response, but both of them stand up.

Robin frowns. "How are you two so familiar with each other? I thought you've only met in the woods?"

"I took a… detour here before heading to champion for Khan Basilio to check on her." Marth steadies Sophia with an arm around her shoulders. "I assume she told you I could be trusted?"

"Implied, more like, without any specifics." Robin replies, then turns to me. "I'll take them to the baths, then get them to bed."

Marth shakes her head. "Although I would gladly accept a trip to the baths, I must not linger much longer."

Emm, who was talking with Panne, turns to Marth with a frown. "Nonsense, you are exhausted. I would be happy to host you until after you have had breakfast tomorrow. I am firm on my decision, as it is the least we can offer you before leaving us once more."

She sighs in defeat. "Alright, I give in, before it becomes a royal decree. I thank you for your hospitality."

Okay, I'm calling it quits on this chapter. I almost ended it with Validar strangling Sophia, but decided against a cliffhanger that mean, so beware, I will be saving that up for another time!

I do not own Fire Emblem Awakening.


	10. Chapter 10

Sophia POV

 _I raise my eyes to the cheering crowd of Grimleal at the base of the cliff, and look up to the cloudy sky, completely blocking out the sun's warming rays from the world. A single tear falls down my cheek as I hear a battle cry ring out from below, and an arrow whizzes past my ear, killing the executioner about to strike me down. I gasp as I see Chrom's dark blue hair in the back of the crowd, cutting down the Grimleal with Robin at his side, her white hair a beacon in the mass of darkly clothed cultists._

" _Put these dogs to the blade!" Gangrel shouts, and more Grimleal turn and fight the Shepherds, who clearly are not fazed in the slightest by the increasing numbers of poor fighters._

 _I close my eyes as they make their approach to Gangrel's position, Chrom and Robin filled with fury. "Now, now, little prince, I wouldn't be quite so bold. I have archers aiming at your precious sister! One move, and I order them to loose, and then she goes splat!"_

 _I look at myself, and realize I'm disguised as Emm, and shake my head at Chrom. "Gangrel, you may be mad, but you are a fool for thinking an Exalt is so easily caught!" I whip off the wig and sage robe, revealing my uniform as Emm's guard. "Plegians, heed my words, this war is not the answer! What good is revenge when your enemy suffered just as much as you?! What good is taking another's life when they have done you no wrong?! The one who caused your pain is gone, is that not enough?! You have another chance for peace, do not let it fall apart!" The people who were running from the fighting stopped to listen, and remain silent, giving me my answer. "What is done is done, and we can't change the past, but we can heal today and have hope for tomorrow." I whisper to myself. "Forgive me, Lucina." I spot her flying to me on Jade, panic and fear in her eyes. "Give them hope." I close my eyes and step to the edge of the cliff, and lean forward, falling endlessly to the earth._

"Sophia!" a voice shouts as a hand shakes my shoulder. I open my eyes, finding them blurred and wet with tears. "Sophia, shh, it's alright." Lucina wraps me in her arms, and I cry into her shoulder, finally understanding what she told me.

"I… I can't let it happen." I mutter.

She shifts around to sit on the bed next to me. "Can't let what happen?"

I look down at the sheets, rumpled from use. "I took Emm's place, and was to be executed, then… I jumped from the cliff." I look up to her, tears filling my eyes again. "You were flying on Jade, trying to get to me, but I never gave you the chance, just asked for your forgiveness."

Her fist clenches. "Except for a few particular details, that is exactly how the story of that day went." She looks out the window, and I see the early rays of sunlight peeking over the horizon. "Sophia, you will always have my forgiveness, but… if that ever does come to pass… give me the chance to save you. Please?"

I nod slowly at her, wiping my eyes with the edge of the blanket. "I promise."

We both get up and take turns with the washroom to get dressed and ready for the day. As my blue dress is completely ruined, I choose to wear a black skirt lined with chain mail and a dark blue shirt with an armored undershirt. Once we are all set to go, we walk silently down to the Shepherds mess, where everybody, including Emm and the Pegasus Knights, is quietly eating a rich breakfast. We sit close to Robin, who is sitting slightly away from everybody else.

"What's wrong, Robin?" Lucina asks her, pulling her out of her mind.

She looks at me, clenching her right hand, and closes her eyes. "Validar."

I lower my forkful of eggs back to the plate, and sigh. "Do we need to leave? If they know he was here, then…"

She shakes her head. "We'll be safer with our current positions. They wouldn't dare risk another attack like that for a long time, if ever again."

Lucina looks between the two of us. "What are you talking about? Does this have to do with why he wanted you two to go with him rather than killing the Exalt?"

We nod, and I eat my food much more slowly than I had planned to, barely tasting the normally strong flavors. Stahl notices and comes to sit across from me. "How long were you two on the run from him?"

Robin doesn't even look up, and answers in a dead tone. "All my life, and I only picked up Sophia two years ago."

Chrom sighs from the other end of the table. "Listen, Robin, Sophia, I've been patient and lenient, allowing you both to keep your secrets, but I think it's time that you shed some light on your past."

Robin's breathing gets shaky, so I grab her hand, lending her the strength to share her side of the story. "My mother was of the Grimleal cult, as most of you already knew, but I've only told Chrom and Sophia that Validar… is my father." Everybody goes deathly silent, but we barely acknowledge them. "They married, and had me. When I was a few days old, my parents took me to the Dragon's table to undergo the Fellblood Rite, and whatever happened that night, I turned my hair white and left me with Grima's brand. Soon after, my mother stole me from the crib, and ran off into the night, swearing to never again pray to Grima."

Her voice falters, so I pick up the story, continuing in the same tone as her. "She fled through the desert for days, barely stopping for rest at an oasis halfway to her hometown, where her sister still lived on the border. At the time, there was a strained peace between Plegia and Ylisse, so the town was a peaceful place where refugees from Plegia could make their livelihoods or become Ylissean citizens. Her mother found her sister's house, on the small farm where they grew up, and stayed there for seven years, until Robin was able to travel and carry supplies on her own. By then, the previous Exalt was waging the final years of the war, and the town had declared that while it would house refugees and give them work, that would be as close to Ylisse as they could get if they were Grimleal." I take a sip of water before continuing her tale. "They traveled into Ylisse, and rarely stayed anywhere for more than a week, fearing what may happen if the past were revealed to the wrong people. They travelled all over the continent for two years, then returned when the war ended with the Exalt's death. My father came home to marry my mother, and had me two years later. Once I was born, Robin and her mother left again, coming back to visit every couple of years."

"Regardless of the chaos and hatred, we were grateful for the end of the war, and found traveling easier and safer than before, as we knew the Grimleal would still be recuperating from their losses in the war." Robin picks up the story again, much to my relief. "Mother and I traveled the roads of Ylisse and Regna Ferox constantly, but eventually built a small house in the woods of Ylisse for a place to spend the winters, when the roads would be difficult and inn prices would be too much. We eventually stayed there as a permanent residence, and continued to visit Sophia's family every year. But two years ago, when we visited, there was a bandit raid on the town. All of the houses were on fire, and there was so much smoke that the sky seemed gray. Mother and I did what we could, and attacked the bandits with magic and blades, but we were outnumbered and horribly overwhelmed. We ran for the farm, throwing spells over our backs to keep them at bay, but one of them threw a knife that struck mother's back, and she fell. They had us surrounded, and were about to kill us when Sophia saved us. She used her father's old sword to stab one of the bandits from behind, and distracted them enough for mother to recuperate enough to help fight again." I close my eyes and allow a tear to fall into my lap.

"Mother was teaching me how to make pastries for when they arrived, so that there would be a fresh treat that I could say I had made. Father was outside chopping firewood when the fires started, and told Mother to get her tome while he got his sword from when he served in the war. They made me hide in the woods behind the house, where I would be hidden in the undergrowth. They fought hard to keep the bandits' attention away from searching for me, but they were overpowered, and refused to tell where I was. I wasn't able to keep from looking when they beheaded my parents. They gave up searching for me, and set the house on fire without taking any of the heirlooms. When they were gone, I ran into the house to save what tomes and valuables I could, and hid them in the woods before I heard a couple of them come back to look for me. I grabbed Father's sword from his body and killed them, then went down the road to look for help, when I saw the rest of the bandits surrounding Robin and her mother."

My eyes are dry as Robin continues the story. "We finished the bandits, but the damage was done. They had slaughtered everyone in the village, then set everything to the torch. Mother and I gathered the bodies and dug a mass grave while Sophia salvaged what she could from each house and carved the names into a block of wood to mark the grave, but we buried her parents separate from everybody else on the farm, in a flower patch where she worked every day with her mother growing up. Once they were buried, we took Sophia with us, and set out on the road once more, my mother and I thinking that it was the Grimleal trying to track us down, and resorting to holding a hostage to draw us back to Plegia." She looks over at me, but I keep my gaze down. "We were taking shelter in a village when a sickness swept through the people there, and Mother got sick caring for the children of the woman who let us stay in her house, and wound up with a fatal case of the sickness. She held out for a few days, but died in her sleep one night. We buried her with the blessings of Naga given by a Priest summoned to bless those who had not survived the sickness, then left, going back to our house, only to find it had been burned to the ground with the mark of the Grimleal carved into a post in the center of the wreckage."

"A week later we were in Regna Ferox, staying under the protection of the Khans to teach their armies some new formations to better deal with their northern bandits, but that was mainly for Robin to earn money and ask their few mages to start teaching me how to use tomes, which I was a natural with since Mother was a powerful dark mage before she put away tomes in favor of staying on the farm. We stayed there until there was nothing more for them to teach me, and the bandits were under control once more. The Khans rewarded us well in gold and supplies, and we set off after they gave me my dagger set for my birthday. We've been on the road ever since, helping out wherever or whenever we could, only stopping in Ylisstol when we needed to repair our weapons or pick up new tomes." We both fall silent, our background told.

Frederick clears his throat, catching everybody's attention. "What happened right before we met you on the road?"

Robin sighs. "I had felt as though we were being hunted closely all week, so we were avoiding any villages and towns we came close to, and constantly kept ourselves on alert for any who would attack us. When it did happen, they knocked Sophia unconscious, and bound my hands and feet. They wouldn't risk hurting me, but they took away my sword and tome when they caught me. We were on the road south when Sophia must have awoken, because there was a beam of purple light that shot up into the sky and a scream we could faintly hear from where she was left on the road. A group of mages went back to kill her, based on what they were muttering under their breath."

"When I crashed into you, I was dealing with the last mage, who was much stronger than the rest of the group. By that time, I had been tracking the group for hours, and was so exhausted I wouldn't have survived the fight. I lost control, and wasn't aware of what was happening until Lissa healed my wounds. I was scared, alone, and weak by then, and just wanted Robin back."

I don't even dare to look up to see their reactions.

Okay, I'm done with this chapter. You got their story in full, and now I want some opinions before my next update. At least three reviews is preferable, but I'll be willing to update when I get two updates or one impressive review. Thank you very much.

I do not own Fire Emblem Awakening.


	11. Chapter 11

Two Months Later

Robin POV

I obliterate another practice dummy with a roar, tears nearly blinding me, but I continue to swing the wooden practice sword about. With one wild and poorly balanced swing, I fall to the ground, crying into my hands. Nobody understands just what is at stake now, and they refuse to listen to a word we tell them. Even worse, Sophia has been imprisoned in the old dungeons to ensure my good behavior, much to the rage of the royal family, but the courts will not even consider releasing her. She's changed so much I hardly recognized her when I was finally allowed to see her this morning, and her eyes… they were empty and soulless, as though she's died on the inside, but her body refuses to die with her.

The darkness of the night sky falls over me, but nobody comes looking for me, and I can't bring myself to go to the Shepherd's mess hall and inflict my presence upon them. They don't even allow me to fight anymore, saying that they don't want to risk losing me, but I know they are just afraid that I will try to kill them the second they turn away from me. If I were just like my father, as they fear I am, then I might have considered it, but that is not the case, and yet they refuse to see that as the truth.

My tears never stop falling, and I don't even try to stop them, feeling shattered on the inside from all that has happened since we opened up. If we had just stayed quiet, none of this would have happened, and we would still be happy. I don't understand how everyone was so willing to trust us for a while, then cast us aside like we're worthless traitors when we've given everything to protect Ylisse and her royal family. How can they doubt us after all we've done for them?

A hand on my shoulder makes me flinch, and the hands pulls away as suddenly as it touched me. "I'm sorry, Robin, I hadn't meant to startle you." Chrom apologizes, kneeling in the grass next to me. "You weren't at dinner, and Lissa and I were getting worried, since nobody had seen you all day."

I wipe my face and pointedly look away from him. "What do you care? I'm just a filthy Plegian, just waiting for you to drop your guard long enough to stab in the back."

He grabs my chin and forces me to look at him. "That's a lie and you know it."

I pull away from his touch, even though I want to do nothing more than just stay in his grip and pray this is all just a horrible nightmare. "Then you clearly don't know your people." I whisper, standing up and walking towards the barracks.

"Where are you going?" he asks as he rises, a frown forming on his face.

"I'm going to bed. I don't want to sully your reputation by having you in my presence too long." I walk away, not looking back to him so he can't see the tears forming anew in my eyes. If things were different, then I would have stayed, but I can't.

Footsteps follow me out of the practice court, and I break into a sprint, not wanting him to suffer because of what I am. I make it to my room, and almost shut the door when he bars the door with his body, forcing it to stay open. "They don't think that! They would never think of you that way! You or Sophia!" He pushes against the door. "Damn it, Robin! Talk to me!"

I push against the door, trying to keep him out, but he finally forces his way in, grabbing my arm as I try to run away, and pulling me into his chest, restraining me as I cry on his shoulder. "You don't understand." I whisper, exhausted from the emotional strain of the past two months.

"You're right, I don't understand. So talk to me, Robin, please. I just want to help you." He runs his fingers through my hair, resting his cheek on the top of my head. "Please, just let me in."

"I…" I can't finish my thought, and just lean into him, closing my eyes.

Chrom POV

Once I've made sure Robin is asleep, I leave my seat next to her bed in favor of searching for the Shepherds, who I hear eating quietly in the mess hall, for a change. The second I walk in, all the conversations stop, and I ball my hand into a fist, trying to control my temper for all they have said to Robin.

"What is your opinion of Robin, Shepherds? And this time, tell me the truth." I glare at each of them, and none dare to meet my gaze as I move on to each of them, turning their heads down to study the tables, except for Ricken, who looks miserable and sleep deprived.

Finally, Sumia is the first to break. "She can't be trusted, not if her father tried to kill the Exalt."

Vaike is next. "Bad blood runs through her, and I know she'll turn on us, sooner or later."

Miriel places her glasses on the table with a shaking hand. "She is of Grimleal descent, proof given by that brand she bears. We all know the Grimleal cannot be trusted."

Frederick looks up at me at last, regret in his eyes. "I want to trust her, but I don't know if it would be so wise, milord. She is a good person, but still a stranger."

I look back to Ricken, who stares at his plate with an empty gaze. "Ricken?" I ask, hoping to get his opinion.

He looks at me with tears in his eyes. "It's wrong to judge them both for what they ran from. We gave them our trust, and when they finally gave us theirs, we throw Sophia in the dungeons and threaten to harm her if Robin sets a single hair out of line." He gets up with a deep breath. "If this is what it means to be a Shepherd, then I want nothing to do with it." He walks out of the mess hall calmly, but then I can hear his running footsteps as soon as he passes the doors.

Sully finally looks up. "He's right, damn him. I won't stay either, just because the rest of you are so shallow as to judge them by their blood before who they are and their good deeds." She too stands and makes to leave the mess hall, but stops next to me. "I hope you know what you're doing, because it sure doesn't seem that way. Clean up this mess." She too walks out.

A new set of footsteps approaches from behind, and I find Marth standing behind me, one hand on her sword, the other in a fist like mine. "While you all are having this hate meeting, I'm here to relieve you all of the subjects themselves, you traitors." She turns around with a look of disgust. "And to think, they call you heroes." She leaves once more, fading into the shadows of the dark hallway like she wasn't there at all.

Sophia POV

I curl up tightly under the thin blanket, shivering in the dungeon as I stare at the ceiling, long having cried the last of my tears. I feel nothing now, and wish for death to take me every day, but my body refuses to follow my mind's wishes, as though saying I still have a need to live. Nothing is right in this world anymore, ever since Mother and Father were murdered right in front of me. I became a strong, powerful killer to take my mind away from the grief, doing whatever it took to keep my mind occupied so I would never fall into the depths of grief, but now I can do nothing but act as a pawn for the politics and cultural differences.

I try to sleep, but it hasn't come to me for what must have been days by now, refusing to let me fall into a different world, any world but the one I have been forced into like an animal. They feed me burnt leftovers, won't even let me out to bathe, and locked me away from the sun. I don't even understand why they did this, when they had finally earned our trust. We protected them with all we had, and it didn't make a difference for my judgment. Robin's lineage cursed her with the blood of Grima, but our heritage has brought me down, and all the good we've done for Ylisse only made the judges hate me more. Of all the promises of protection and trust, no one but Robin has kept their word. She promised to do whatever it took to make it easier to bear, but her promise has done nothing but give me false hope. I just hope one day to receive something the cooks might mercifully poison so at least Robin will be free, and not ever have to worry about me again.

A couple of thumps catch my attention, but I pretend to remain asleep. A couple sets of footsteps approach the door to the prison, and the door swings open with a haunting squeal, echoing though the room and ringing in my ears. A female gasp and running feet towards my door, and a metallic click as a key opens my door, before something warm is wrapped around me, and someone lifts me off the ground gently.

I open my eyes and find Lucina's frantic gaze lingering on my face. "A … dream?" I whisper, so quietly I think it to be nothing more than a thought.

"No, Sophia, this is real. It's time for you to leave this place." She whispers, tears in her eyes. "I'll keep you safe." She turns to somebody else. "Lissa, drop off her weapons in Robin's room, she'll meet us outside of the city."

A healing rod is waved over me, and only fills me with more warmth. "Just keep her warm, and she'll be alright. I'll get the things to Robin quickly." A hand rubs my forehead. "I'm sorry things turned out this way, Sophia."

Lissa's footsteps echo slightly as she runs out to search for my things, then Lucina stands up, holding me close. "Try to sleep, alright? You're safe now."

I honestly try to obey, but as my eyes seal themselves shut, my brain won't allow me to rest, keeping my ears wide awake to the sounds Lucina barely makes as she runs through the castle, jostling me only slightly as she ducks behind walls to avoid being caught by the guards. I lose track of how long she is at it before I open my eyes again, and stare up at the night sky, breathing in the fresh air slowly and carefully, savoring it.

"Marth?" I hear Chroms voice mumble, and she gasps, clutching me tighter. "We're not here to stop you, if that's your concern." I look around, spotting Chrom in the shadows, leaning against a wall, Ricken and Sully with him.

"Then what…?" I whisper, prompting gasps from everyone, and Ricken steps forward as Lucina sets me on my feet delicately.

I take a wobbly step forward, and Ricken pulls me into his arms, wrapping them around me, but I can't find the strength or the will to return the gesture, let alone the will to smile. "We couldn't find where they had hidden you away until Robin was brought to you today, or we would have done this so much sooner." He whispers into my ear, rocking me the slightest bit, supporting my weak body with his arms.

"Marth, we're helping you to get them both to Regna Ferox. The Khans will recognize the dagger set and give you asylum, but there's no telling what could happen on the road there." Chrom murmurs to Lucina, who nods. "We'll help to fend off any attacks and provide money for the trip north, so there will be slightly less strain on you to do everything."

She cracks a small smile as I finally relax. "Thank you, Chrom. It means more than you could ever know that you would give me this aid." My eyes flutter shut, and my body finally cooperates with my mind's wishes, and allowing me to find the realms of dreams.

Lucina POV

I follow Father and the other two to the stables, where we find a fully packed Robin hugging Lissa goodbye in front of Jade's stall. "Are you ready to go?" I ask her, nodding to the mounts.

She nods, eyes lingering on Sophia, being carried by Father and wrapped snugly in my cape. "Who will she ride with?" she asks, strapping her final pack onto the gentle wyvern.

Chrom smiles sadly at the girl in his arms. "I'll ride with her first, then pass her off to Sully and ride with Marth when dawn breaks."

I nod, agreeing with the plan. "And when noon hits, she'll hopefully wake up, though the chances of that are very low."

Ricken looks at me with horror. "How long could she sleep for?"

I look down at my boots, approaching Sully's already saddled horse. "Days, if she's as bad as I think." I whisper.

Chrom groans as he climbs into the saddle, taking Sophia from Ricken and settling her in front of him. "And how do you know this?"

I hesitate, then sigh. "Personal experiences, and taking care of others suffering exhaustion." Once Sully is in the saddle, I climb up behind her awkwardly. "It's nothing I want to talk about at the moment."

He nods. "Alright, then, we won't discuss it unless you want to." Ricken and Robin get settled on Jade, then we take off into the night, riding for all we're worth to get out of Ylisstol and as far away as possible before dawn.

Regna Ferox

Robin POV

"Thank you for taking us in again, Flavia, Basilio." I say to them once the others had finished settling in.

Basilio laughs. "Anything for you ladies! You were very helpful when you stayed with us last, I have to admit. I'm even thinking of hiring you!" he claps me on the shoulder.

I smile tightly. "I might take you up on that, but it depends on how well Sophia is when she wakes up."

Flavia, noticing my dropping mood, jumps in. "Well, we've brought in some of our best healers, so she's in good hands. She will be alright."

"Just never the same again." I whisper, looking down. After a moment, I look up again, taking a deep breath. "If it's alright, could I go see her soon?"

Basilio sighs. "If you're hoping she will wake up soon, then you're on the right thought process." He then grins. "Go be with her! Show her that she's still got something good in this world!"

I take my leave, walking off to the infirmary, where Chrom has been sitting vigil with Sophia in my place while I was properly greeting the Khans once we were all settled in. "Chrom, how is she?"

He looks up with tired eyes. "She stirred a little bit, but didn't wake up."

I sit down on the bed, careful not to sit on her legs, and brush a strand of hair behind her ear. "I just wish none of this had been necessary."

He puts a hand on my shoulder. "Believe me, I never thought earning your trust would lead up to this."

Okay, I know there has been a major time skip here, but it was necessary, as the rest of the story was going way too fast for even me to keep up with, just like in the game. I also figured that since most Plegians are thought of as untrustworthy in the game, this would be the result, and as they had proven their worth in Regna Ferox, they would be treated equally there. Next, if you want to know what happened in the two months, here is the general idea: the Shepherds start shunning Robin and restrict her activities on the battlefield, Sophia has been locked in a windowless cell in the deepest and darkest dungeons of the castle where only the guards know how to reach, the small group that went with Lucina had been doing everything they could to find Sophia where she had been stashed away and neglected, and Lucina had been traveling around to take care of Risen and bandits while looking for her friends.

I hope that's everything, the rest is best left to the imagination. I am having a fun time with diverging from the original timeline, and ideas previously given in reviews will hopefully show up soon!

I do not own Fire Emblem Awakening.


	12. Chapter 12

Sophia POV

Opening my eyes, I immediately scrunch them shut against the sunlight streaming directly into my eyes. I try to move my hand over my eyes, but something, or someone warm, is holding it down. Squinting, I find a mop of brown hair I've missed so much not hidden under a giant mage's hat.

"Ricken?" I whisper, wiggling my fingers and trying to wake him up. Not getting any response but him turning his head in his sleep to face me, I resort to pulling my hand away from his grip. Now freed, I can't resist the urge to run my fingers through his soft hair. "Wake up, sleepyhead."

He smiles without opening his eyes yet. "I would say the same to you, but then it wouldn't be quite so nice to hear, and you wouldn't be brushing my hair for me."

I yank on his ear lightly, just enough to make him look at me. "And I would pull your ear anyway."

He gives me a cheeky grin. "Well, Robin will be happy to hear that you're finally up."

My eyes widen, and I try to sit up, but my arms flop under my own weight. "Wait, where is she?! Is she alright?!"

He immediately helps me to sit up, and grabs a full glass of water on the table next to my bed. "She's fine, and is in a meeting with the Khans and Chrom, discussing tactics with them for how to best smuggle soldiers into Ylisstol without Plegia finding out."

I frown, taking a sip of the cool water, faintly tasting stone in it. "We're in Regna Ferox?"

He nods as I drain the glass. "Yeah, in Basilio's territory, just to keep us farther from the border with Ylisse, in case they send search parties into Flavia's territory for you."

"They will never get me back alive." I pass back to him the now empty glass, which he places on the table once again. "How could they do all of this to me? Don't I already have enough to live with?"

Ricken sighs tiredly. "Look, Sully and I are leaving the Shepherds, and Chrom plans to punish them for falling to old prejudices after gaining your trust. But I don't want you to think about it anymore, everyone will be so happy you've returned to us." he smiles, then stands up. "I'll be right back, I'm gonna go tell them the good news!" He pauses, then presses a light kiss on my cheek, face turning red as he walks out the door.

I feel my own face burn at his actions, and lift my hand to the spot on my cheek, happy that Ricken still cares so much for me.

The door opens a moment later, and Lucina dashes to my side, pulling me into a delicate hug. "I was so worried about you!" she whispers into my ear, and I lift my arms around her as well.

"Thank you, Lucina." I whisper even more quietly in her ear, and she tightens her grip on me ever so slightly before moving to sit next to my legs on the soft mattress. "How long have I been asleep for?"

She grabs my hand and smiles sadly. "You woke up midafternoon, so techinically thirteen days, but everyone else will call it fourteen days. You were given a lot of healings and potions to try restoring your strength, which kept you asleep so much longer." She lifts one leg up to the bed, wrapping an arm around her leg and resting her chin on her knee. "The others will hopefully be done with the meeting soon, and then they can finally be assured that you are fine."

"Lucina, I don't know how much more I can take of this. I've done so much bad, and so much more good, yet it never seems to make anything any easier." I pull my hand away from her. "What should I do? I'm so lost."

She leans forward and wipes my cheek with her finger, and I catch a glimpse of something glimmering on her hand before she pulls my head to her shoulder. "You just have to do what you think is right, and if that doesn't make you feel any better, just keep doing more, so that at least others will benefit."

I blink and pull away from her, and she looks at me with such understanding that I know she suffers just as much as me, but in a different way. She stays with me, and we talk about how the ride north was for them, learning about the blizzards and paths they took to avoid Ylissean patrols and search parties. An hour passes, and I laid back down at some point, resting my head on my pillow, when the door opens with a loud slam. Lucina is on her feet in the blink of an eye, drawing her sword, when it's revealed to be Basilio and Flavia.

"Whoa Marth, ease up, we're just excited!" Basilio laughs, making Lucina smile and put away her blade. "So, Sophia, feeling any better?"

I nod at them, unwilling to sit back up from my spot in the warm blankets. "Much, thanks."

Flavia grins wolfishly, giving me some concern. "Great! Then you'll join us for dinner in a couple hours!"

"Wait, did I forget somethin' Flavia?" Basilio scratches his head, looking deep in thought.

"You great oaf! How dare you forget something like that?!" She grabs him by the ear and drags him to the door. "I gotta take him to the market, he needs to figure something out! See you at dinner!"

"Woman!" Basilio shouts at her, "Release me! I know how to get to the market!"

I roll my eyes, and look at Lucina. "Noisy Khans, isn't this an infirmary?"

She smiles a bit at my comment and the truth of it. "Yes, but this is Regna Ferox. Either go all out and be crazy or don't bother, right?" She then frowns. "I honestly thought it was kind of funny, but… aren't you amused by them?"

"Mildly entertained would be a better expression. I used to live here, so I'm a bit used to it." I raise an eyebrow. "Why do you ask?"

She shifts uncomfortably in her spot. "Well, it's just that… you haven't smiled, not even once since I came to keep you company. You always smile at the weirdest of things, and that had even me smiling."

I shake my head at her. "It's nothing, I'll be back to the way I was eventually. I just need time."

She looks doubtful, but nods in agreement. "If you say so, Sophia."

Robin POV

I finish tying off the black ribbon on the package wrapped in yellow paper, then add the note under the big bow on the top of the box. "I really hope she likes this." I whisper to myself. I then pick it up and leave my room, heading for the dining hall, where the Khans, Chrom, and Sully are already seated, and a small pile of boxes in front of the seat meant for Sophia, all colorfully and neatly wrapped gifts waiting for her to discover.

I take my seat to her right, between where she will sit and Chrom, who takes my hand under the table. "She'll love this. After all, I'm fairly sure we planned this fairly well for being a last minute surprise dinner."

I smile at him, squeezing his hand. "I'm glad she woke up on her birthday, so we could celebrate on the actual date."

The door opens again, Marth and Ricken supporting a still fairly weak Sophia through the doorway. She stares at the gifts for a second before we all shout, "Happy Birthday, Sophia!" Her eyes widen, and her jaw drops, before the ice in her eyes melts, and she gives a huge grin.

"It's today?" she whispers as Ricken takes over, guiding her to her seat and placing his own small gift onto the pile. "Thank you so much!" she leans over, hugging me with all her strength, which really isn't much.

Chrom chuckles next to me, and gestures to the gifts. "As much as I am sure you want to open these, I have a feeling you'll be wanting a solid meal first."

At the mention of food, her stomach rumbles loudly in agreement. As she blushes, she joins us in laughter, and Marth picks up the gifts and sets them all a few seats down the long table. Basilio is the first to calm down, and yells, "Let's have some dinner then!"

A couple of servants dash out of the kitchens, carrying plates of baked potatoes, roasted duck, and rice to each of us. Sophia gasps as she sees what's being served. "You remembered my favorites!"

Flavia smiles contentedly, and picks up her fork. "Of course we would, after all you were the best student we had. And you wouldn't let us do this last time, so we kept it on our minds. Dig in, everyone."

In a clatter of cutlery, we all dig into the fresh meal, and I have to wonder who they have cooking the food here, because it is the best. The duck is nicely cooked, and has a very sweet but slightly spicy honey glaze, and the rest of the food is the perfect portion for each of us, leaving plenty of room for seconds and dessert. Sophia doesn't make it to seconds like everybody else, but who knows how often she was fed and what her stomach can handle right now.

Finally, one of the servants brings out a tray with a small cake, covered with chocolate frosting, and the words 'Happy 14th Brithday Sophia' iced in blue on the top of the cake with pretty sugar flowers. I take the serving knife and cut a piece for her first, making sure she has two of the flowers, then serve everyone else. The cake turns out to be a two layered cake, the top vanilla, the bottom chocolate, with a strawberry filling.

Halfway through eating her cake, Sophia looks up to the Khans. "Thank you." She whispers, then looks back down, tears in her eyes.

I put a hand on her shoulder, rubbing it slightly. "What is it? Why are you crying?"

"Mother baked me a cake like this one when I was little for my birthday once, and… I guess I just wish she and Father were here." She whispers to me.

Ricken grabs her hand and rubs circles into her palm. "They wouldn't want you to cry, I'm sure. Just thinking of them would be enough to have them here." He then turns back to his cake, although he keeps a hold on Sophia's hand. "So, let's just enjoy what you have here, okay? You still have all of us."

She smiles again, and we all finish our cake. Once all of the final crumbs have been cleaned off of the platter by Basilio and Chrom's eating contest (and Chrom calls Ricken immature, hypocrite), we move down the table some so that Sophia can open her gifts while the table is being cleared of all the plates.

She opens a rather bulky box wrapped in white paper with a navy blue ribbon tied in a rough bow, and finds a finely crafted black leather tome carrier, filled with brand new tomes of dark and anima magic, stamped with her name on the inside and with magical symbols to protect the bag and its contents from any kind of damage or wear. She turns to him with a new light in her eyes, and he offers her a hug, murmuring something along the lines of her always running off without a way to carry tomes.

The next box she grabs is a long, thin box wrapped in red paper with a silver bow slightly better than the one on Chrom's gift. She opens it to find a lovely new cape, made with an outer layer of tan leather and bronze trimming the edge, and the underside outfitted with sleeves made of fine cotton and lined with several pockets. She finds a couple of Elixirs and a small deck of cards in the pockets, as well as sheaths for her knives. Sully grumbles that it also is lined with a light chain mail and spelled to protect the wearer in heavy combat.

She reaches for a small, flat green wrapped box with a brown ribbon, opening it to find a small booklet, opened to find drawings of various landscapes and cities, then various animals in the next section, finding a portrait of every person present drawn in perfect detail at the end of the book. Ricken blushes, saying that he had been unable to think of anything to draw until we arrived here, then decided to show her the world without the need to travel to see everything.

A long box wrapped in dark gray paper and a cream ribbon is next, opened to reveal a matching sword and dagger set, in identical leather and metal trimmed sheaths, looking ordinary at first. Sophia draws the dagger to find an inscription, reading aloud, _"'There is always a way to start again.'_ " She then draws the sword, finding it to be etched with flames and shimmering with the colors of flames at different angles. She looks around, trying to figure out who gave these to her out of me, Flavia, Basilio, and Marth.

Basilio sighs, and grins at her. "I thought that it would be pretty neat, and you have been traveling so long that I thought it to be a fitting gift."

She nods in thanks, then we all realize that there are only two more boxes on the table, but she doesn't seem to care, reaching for the box furthest from her, wrapped in a shimmering silver paper with red ribbons in an elegant bow on top. She opens it to find a polished wooden box, opening that to find a new dagger to match her current set with an expensive weapons cleaning kit, stocked to clean her weapons for at least three years, if not slightly longer. Flavia raises her chin, proud of herself. "Only the best for you, kid, you deserve it."

Blushing, she finally gets to my gift, opening it to find a series of books of maps of the world, charm making guides with sample charms, and books on healing, complete with a variety of brand new healing, rescue, and fortifying rods. She stares at me, and I smirk slightly, seeing the awe and confusion showing in her eyes. "You mumble in your sleep, and mentioned other branches of magic. And don't think I haven't noticed you watching the healers everywhere we go."

She pulls me in for a massive hug, stronger than before. As I pat her on the head, she whispers, "Thank you, Robin. This is the best birthday ever."

Marth clears her throat. "I didn't bring my gift here, because it's actually not finished being made yet. I'll have it tomorrow afternoon though."

Sophia smiles, and then yawns. "I'm tired."

Ricken looks just about ready to burst at this. "You've been asleep for how long, and you're still tired? We haven't even gone to the library yet!"

She rolls her eyes as Marth helps her out of her seat. "Exhaustion does this. You'll be back up and about soon though, just take it easy until your body is back into a waking routine again."

Okay, enough fluff so that the future things I bring up make more sense for everyone, mainly cuz I don't want to be blamed for later confusion and other stuff that ensues on your end. I hope you enjoyed, so please leave any reviews and comments you make be itching to leave me.

I do not own Fire Emblem Awakening.


	13. Chapter 13

Robin POV

I walk into the conference room, worried about how Chrom and the others will take the news I just received, only to be surprised with all of the Shepherds crowding the table.

"What's going on here Marth?" I ask her as she comes to stand next to me.

She smirks. "Robin, you can't tell I'm not Marth?" she whispers, and shows me a charm on her wrist. "Chrom was freaking out when I activated it, and couldn't tell us apart when we stood next to each other."

"Impressive, but if you would please not goof off right now, and tell me why the rest of them are here?" I asks, gesturing to the crowd as they turn around to look at me, remorse in their eyes.

She shrugs, closing her eyes for a moment. "They were sent to bring back Chrom, since he's been up here for so long when it was unauthorized."

Then the real Marth walks in, and I stare between the two, speechless. "Wow, that charm works really well." She comments, and even their voices sound identical.

Frederick looks beyond spooked. "What the hell is this? Do you have a twin we never knew about?" he asks, voice just above a whisper.

The false Marth sends him a disgusted look, as she pulls off the charm to reveal everything, even the outfit, to be the disguise. It turns out to be Sophia, looking much healthier after two weeks of proper meals and rest, but still too skinny to be healthy, wearing her new cape and tome carrier. "You damn well better have a good excuse to be here, other than collect me for your dungeons." She snarls at him, and I see her hand ready to grab the sword hidden under the cape.

Vaike looks terrified of her, almost cringing and trying to make himself unnoticeable, for once. "Stop reminding us of that!" he growls weakly.

Frederick has the grace to look down in shame. "Our orders were strictly to bring Chrom back to Ylisstol, and if we were to encounter the two of you, to leave you be." He glares at the rest of the Shepherds. "Though some here had trouble accepting this order, it was final."

I step in front of Sophia, blocking her from their sight. "That's not happening."

He looks up, frowning at me. "But I am afraid it is our orders."

"To hell with orders! The capital has been seized, and Emmeryn set to be executed in a week!" I shout at him. "Now tell me, would you like to save your Exalt or follow orders to get a prince, who knows loyalty better than his own force, back to a capital without his sister?!"

"No, oh gods, no…" Marth whimpers, and Sophia guides her to a chair, sadness in her eyes. I know she holds no ill against the Exalt, who tried to protect her, just the rest of the Ylisseans.

"Sh, it's alright Marth. We'll find a way." She rubs the older girl's back, and I realize just how young Marth and Sophia really are.

"Is this true?" Chrom whispers, horrified by what I had wanted to break to him gently at first.

I pull out a letter with the stamp of the Plegian royal house. "This is the terms for her release, and the date for the execution. More specifically, the last day we can trade the Fire Emblem for Emmeryn's life." I tilt my head at him. "You do have it, right?"

"Yeah, in my room." He murmurs, and I see Sophia break away from Marth, giving me a sad look, missing the fear crossing Marth's face as she watches my cousin leave the room.

I turn back to the letter. "It says they captured the city two days ago. They would have rested in the city, or nearby, for the night. If that is the case, we might be able to catch them while they are on their way back to Plegia's capital."

Marth rises from her seat, walking to a window looking out over the stables. "That's not the only concern you need to be focusing on right now."

Lissa turns to her, confused as I walk to the window, noticing Marth is watching something. "What do you mean?"

I see the cape, and my blood runs cold as Sophia leads Jade into the courtyard. "Oh gods, don't do this to me again!" I shout, running out of the room, praying I can catch her in time. I burst through the final door just ahead of Marth, only to see Sophia flying away. "Sophia!" I shout as loud as I can, but I know it's too late to stop her.

I fall to my knees, wrapping my arms around myself and trying to ward off the tears. "Robin, she left us this." The girl kneels in the snow, picking up a note with Sophia's elegant handwriting. "'I know what to do, but I don't expect any but Marth to understand. –Sophia.'" She clenches her free hand into a fist, tears filling her eyes. "Robin, I'm so sorry, but you'll likely never see her again."

I bury my face in my hands as a warm hand comes to my shoulder. More warmth wraps around me, and I wrap my arms around Chrom, crying helplessly into his shoulder yet again.

Sophia POV

I leave the snowy country behind, praying to Naga and any other deities listening that they will find the note I dropped in the courtyard. The air slowly warms as the snow on the ground rapidly fades as I fly through the day, going straight to northern Plegia to avoid the Ylissean Pegasus Knights stationed on the border. Soon, the land turns barren and dry, then gives way to the famous sands of the desert. I continue flying through the entire night, knowing that to stop now means to lose my one chance at saving Emm.

Soon, a couple of hours before dawn, I come upon a troop of soldiers dressed as bandits, the men on patrol half asleep as they sit in front of the small fires. I locate Emm's tent, identifiable by the two guards at the entrance, sleeping as they shouldn't be. I land Jade a minute's walk from the camp, and leave all my tomes and weapons on Jade's saddle, rubbing her neck for a moment before taking a single charm with me.

I sneak into the camp without any trouble, and creep into Emm's tent, where I find her wide awake, yet laying down in a vain attempt to sleep. I motion for her to be silent as I take a lock of her hair and fuse it into the charm with a spell, then put it around my neck, becoming her clone. As I remove the rope from her wrists, I whisper to her, "Jade is out back, take her and get to Regna Ferox. Tell them everything that happened, and tell them… they no longer need me there for them. My job is done."

She wraps her arms around my shoulders. "May Naga bless you for all you have done for me and my people. Your sacrifices will not be in vain, I will do as you ask." She helps me slip the rope onto my own wrists, then slips out silently.

I lay down in the spot she had previously occupied, and sleep for the only few hours I can before I am dragged out of the tent and dragged to the capital, where I pray I can hold out for the next several days.

Lucina POV

I sit at the window, watching the skies for some ray of hope through this blizzard, when Father comes to sit next to me on the sill. "What do you watch the skies for?"

I shake my head. "I'm not sure, just a sign that I did something right, I guess."

He puts a hand on my shoulder, and I try not to take too much joy from his touch. After a moment, he pulls his hand away. "We need to discuss our options for rescuing Emm. Robin asked me to come looking for you."

I nod, taking one last look out the window. "Then let's go." We walk to the meeting, finding everyone else seated and talking amongst themselves. Robin sits next to Flavia, not paying attention to what everyone else is saying.

Basilio clears his throat loudly, catching everyone's attention. "So, two things on the list: rescue the Exalt, and find Sophia. Let's hear opinions and counter."

Everyone looks at Robin, but she's incapable of offering any suggestions, so I step up. "We can estimate they have probably returned to the capital by now, or will be there soon. There is no chance of us getting even a small force by aerial units here to get to them with this weather. Our only chance is to go by ground, and not until tomorrow, or late this evening, which is too much of a risk for us to take." I look over at Robin, and close my eyes, grimacing. "She won't be back, I just know it. She told me she had a dream where she took the place of the Exalt, and ended her own life to protect all of us."

"We have to try saving them both, but if it comes down to it, she would want us to save Emm." Father mutters, distaste in his eyes. As Robin makes to object to this, he raises a hand to stop her. "Think about it for a moment. The second she knew she could slip out without us thinking twice about it, she took it. She went in the direction of the Plegian Capital, and left that note."

She looks down in defeat. "Pack the wagons with all the supplies we'll need. We follow her trail, and pray we find something."

I leave ahead of everybody else, going to the wall surrounding the building for some fresh air. I heave a great sigh, uncaring for the snow building up on my head and shoulders, and blocking my way back inside. I no longer care about that, but more for the fact that Sophia will die for the reason I came back, and so much younger than the people of my time had known.

A weak screech reaches my ears after standing there for an hour, and I raise my eyes to the sky, gasping at the sight. "Somebody! I need some help out here!" I shout, jumping over the wall and into the knee deep snow.

Jade, shivering and screeching in displeasure, half lands and half crashes, sending her rider into the snow. The figure rises slowly, and a head of blonde hair and light green robes struggles to their feet. "Marth?" the Exalt whispers.

"Your ladyship!" I turn back to the wall, pulling off my cape and throwing it over her shoulders. "Open the gate! Now!"

Robin POV

"Chrom?" I whisper tentatively, placing a hand on his shoulder. He covers it with one hand, not turning to face me. "What did she say?"

He shakes his head, almost in denial. "Sophia took her place with a charm, and made her leave on Jade alone. Emm didn't know she had no weapons or tomes until dawn had come and gone." He looks up at me at last, and his gaze is filled with remorse and worry. "Robin, I'm so sorry."

I take a seat next to him, numb to everything around me. "I don't want to lose her Chrom, but we can't make it in time, not with this weather keeping us here. And even if we were to rush, we would still not make it in time, unless the execution is to be in the evening."

He wraps me in his arms, pulling me into his chest. "We leave three hours before dawn. It's the only way we can stand a chance of saving her."

Emmeryn walks in slowly, shaking her head. "I'm afraid that's not all that she told me. She said… she said that her job was done, and that we wouldn't need her anymore." Her eyes meet my own. "She does not want a rescue."

I know, mean place to stop, but I'll try to update faster next time. School is getting sorta in the way, along with new inspiration for other stories, if you haven't seen that on my profile recently.

I do not own Fire Emblem Awakening


	14. Chapter 14

Day of the Execution

Robin POV

"Basilio! The executioner!" I shout as Gangrel gives the order to strike Sophia down.

He fires an arrow so close to Sophia that it catches some of her hair, making her look down at us from her spot on the edge of the cliff, still using the charm to disguise her as the Exalt, who is safe in Regna Ferox. She's too far away for me to clearly read her expression, but I can sense that she's surprised. I waste no time in pulling out my thunder tome, laying siege to a group of mages and swordsmen, who were fairly weak to begin with. I guide the others through their own fights, advising Chrom to use Falchion over a silver sword when he encounters a myrmidon, shattering the sword and ending his opponent's life.

I stand beside him as we approach a dark mage with a golden tiara in her black hair, who is eyeing me in a stalkerish manner. "You seem reluctant to fight."

She shrugs, and murmurs in a low tone. "Why fight and die for a cause I don't believe in? Especially when it involves killing someone that powerful."

"Powerful?" I ask.

"I know she's not the real Exalt, I just don't know who." She murmurs, and her eyes fall to the mark on my hand, which I quickly hide.

Chrom jumps into the break of the conversation. "If you won't fight for Gangrel, would you fight for us?"

She glares at him. "And if this is a ploy to gain your trust, only to stab you in the back later?"

He shrugs, turning to strike down another enemy from behind as I take down another mage. "I'll take that risk."

"Fine then, I'll help you, since you're so open to having me." She promptly leaps into the fray, striking out with Nosferatu on one of her former allies.

I shiver, and continue working my way to Gangrel and Aversa, Chrom at my side. We finally finish off the last of the soldiers in our path, to find Gangrel in a fit. "Gangrel! It's over, hand her over to us now!"

Wings flap in the sky above us, and the Pegasus knights come to back us up and try to get Sophia, who they still think is Emmeryn. "You damn tactician! You don't play fair at all!" he roars at me.

Aversa then smirks, half hiding it behind one hand as the other reaches for something behind her. "Oh, but then again, I don't really play fair either." She pulls out a tome, waves her hand, and suddenly Risen archers take down the knights, who scream as death takes them in the long fall back to earth.

Gangrel then points up at Sophia, still using her disguise. "I have archers aiming at your precious sister! One move, and she goes splat!"

Chrom looks torn as Sophia suddenly breaks her silence from atop the cliff. "Gangrel, you may be mad, but you are a fool for thinking an Exalt is so easily caught!" She tears away the charm from her neck, revealing her cloak and uniform as Emm's guard, which I thought were still in Ylisstol. "Plegians, heed my words, this war is not the answer! What good is revenge when your enemy suffered just as much as you?! What good is taking another's life when they have done you no wrong?! The one who caused your pain is gone, is that not enough?! You have another chance for peace, do not let it fall apart!" The people who were running from the fighting stopped to listen, remaining silent aside from a few murmurs from them and the Shepherd force. "What is done is done, and we can't change the past, but we can heal today and have hope for tomorrow."

"NO!" I hear Marth shout, taking to the skies on Jade, trying to get to Sophia by flying over the fighting.

I gasp as Sophia steps to the edge, and leans forward, plummeting to her harsh death. "SOPHIA!" I scream, tears dripping down my cheeks as I make to run toward her limp body, broken and already surrounded with a small pool of blood. I find myself held back by Chrom, and weakly fight him. "No, let me go!"

Flavia runs up and grabs me as Lucina touches down on the ground next to Sophia's body, picking her up delicately and jumping back onto Jade. "We have to go now Robin!"

Angrily, and blinded by grief, I comply with what they say, following along while Chrom never lets go of my hand. I don't pay attention to anything that happens as we make our escape, don't see any of the fighting that occurs as we reach the extraction point, where a dancer shoves us into carriages taking us back to Regna Ferox.

Ricken POV

I sit in Sophia's room, holding her blanket in my arms and imagining it's her I'm holding, as though she is still with me, still alive and smiling. My chest constricts as I have a hard time breathing properly as I wonder where Marth had taken her. But what happened as Sophia made her last speech puzzles me, it almost seemed as though it had been rehearsed, and Marth had known what would happen, and tried to stop it.

I look up as at the door squeaks open, and Frederick comes in, guilt in his eyes. "What do you want? Isn't all of this enough?"

"I know I made a mistake falling to old prejudices, but I had no way to be sure until today." He whispers.

I clench my hands around the blanket in my grasp, trying to stop the sudden wave of rage. "If all of you had just listened, she wouldn't be dead! Robin would still have the last of her family!" He looks down at the ground. "You knew she would never wish to betray Ylisse, she fought for us, saved the Exalt at the cost of her health and life, and you all treated her without the same respect! We can't even _bury_ her!"

"You think I don't know all of this Ricken?" he whispers.

Lucina POV

I lay Sophia's shivering body on the blanket as carefully as possible. "You are so lucky Naga sent you back." I whisper to her, pushing a lock of hair from her pale cheek.

Her eyes open slightly, glowing slightly blue with the divine light of Naga. "I'm so sorry… I didn't want to do it, but I didn't have a choice." She whispers hoarsely back to me.

I lay another blanket over her, regardless of the sweat covering her. "You need to rest, Sophia. We'll talk later."

Her eyes flutter shut, and I return to the fire, stirring the contents of the pot on the fire. I look to the star filled sky, thanking the heavens that I was able to retrieve Sophia's body before Robin got to her. Had I allowed Robin to get Sophia, there would have been no chance for salvaging her life, as I knew Naga had her eye on my young aunt. Naga had told me that if I were to succeed in saving her, events would be altered so much more than what even she could anticipate, but I don't understand what would change now. Everybody thinks Sophia is dead, and nobody knows what to think of events that are happening around them. I can only pray that things turn out for the best, and stop my future from repeating itself right before my eyes.


	15. Chapter 15

Robin POV

I lay in my bed, the pain in my heart keeping my will to fight at bay, leaving me hopeless and lost. I faintly notice the passing of time, just wasting away as the sun rises to well in the evening. Thoughts of meeting little Sophia just a few days after she was born fill my mind, and drown me in the past, where we were happy and uncaring of the cruelty of the world around us.

Sometime before sunset, the door opens and closes, footsteps quiet as they approach my bed. A chair grates against the floor, and someone sits next to me, the sigh revealing it to be Chrom. "This wasn't your fault Robin."

I turn my body away from the small window, facing him with my tear stained face. "How is this not my fault? I promised I would keep her safe, and all I've done is let her die when I could have saved her."

He puts a hand on my cheek, rubbing my cheek delicately, wiping away the tears. "It wasn't your fault. Something tells me that she would have done it anyway, even if she wanted to or not." He moves to sit next to me on the bed, never moving his hand away from my face. "She knew it was either her or all of us, and didn't want you to face the guilt of either one sacrifice or the sacrifice of us all. Honor her by finishing this, and we can show the world what loyalty is."

"But I can't. I failed her, what makes you think I won't fail you too?" I whisper as fresh tears cloud my vision.

He leans down, pressing his lips lightly to mine, and my eyes flutter shut as I let him erase the thoughts from my head, breaking the ice built up around my heart. He pulls back, and I see the pain in his eyes. "I know you would never give up that easily, and you know it as well." He pulls me so I'm sitting up, wrapping his arms around me. "I won't let you stay like this forever. I will always stay by you, and I will always catch you when you fall. I will never let you go, and I will never leave you alone again." He pulls away, and puts a hand in his pocket. "I never could have dreamed that this would have happened to us, but if I have anything to be grateful to her for, it's for asking me to help her find you."

I rest my head in the crook of his neck, leaning into his warm embrace. "And I'm glad she was so dedicated to me that she would risk everything for me, even when I couldn't do the same for her."

He pulls his hand out of his pocket, wrapping one arm around my shoulders, pressing his lips into my hair. "I don't want to ever let you feel this way alone again. I want to be by your side for the rest of my days, if you'll have me." He pulls away, and holds a small ring in his hand, silver with a large sapphire surrounded by small diamonds in the shape of Naga's brand. "I want to always be the shoulder you lean on, always be the one to raise you back from your darkest moments. Marry me, Robin."

I gape, staring at him, before tears of happiness leak from my eyes. "Yes, Chrom, I'll marry you. I could never live with myself if I said no." I wrap my arms around his neck, kissing him deeply, not pulling away until we're desperate for air. I smile widely at him as he slips the ring onto my left hand, knowing my grief is never going to leave, but he will always be there to remind me of how to be happy.

One Year Later

Sophia POV

I struggle to sit upright, scared by the sounds of the woods around me while I wait for Lucina to return. A young boy with a pot on his head and a pitchfork in his hands emerges from the woods, slightly curled brown hair flopping down into his eyes.

He approaches me carefully as I fail to sit up. "Miss? Are ya alright?" he asks with a thick accent.

I sigh deeply, relaxing slightly. "I've been better." I mutter, closing my eyes as I fall back onto my side. "What are you doing here?"

"Jus' takin' a look round 'ere fer berries an' whatnot. What're you doin' 'ere?" he sits next to me, resting his pitchfork on the ground behind him.

I open my eyes slightly, looking at him tiredly. "Waiting for a friend. You need to leave, before they get back."

He shakes his head. "I ain't leavin' a helpless girl out 'ere alone. By tha by, wha's yer name?"

I slowly shake my head. "I won't tell you. Nobody can know who I am." I take a deep breath. "Please, just go. I won't have you hurt for being involved with me."

My eyes flutter shut as he rises.

 _I see Robin lying, almost perfectly still, in a large bed, staring out the window, next to Chrom, who has an arm wrapped over her waist. "Chrom, do you think we'll ever find her body?" she whispers to him._

 _He kisses her temple. "I don't know, but I hope we learn something eventually, if we ever track down Marth." He sighs. "But you need to relax. All of this worrying can't be good for either you or the baby." I then see the glittering ring on her left hand, and smile brightly, knowing she must be carrying Lucina._

 _She turns and burrows into his chest. "I know, but the not knowing… it makes me wonder if there was a way she could have survived."_

 _Pain lances through me, and my vision blacks out._

My eyes open to see the dark ceiling of a Grimleal temple, and the pain of before races through every inch of my body, erasing the thoughts from my mind, and the memories of those I love most.

"Lord Validar, she must carry the blood of your brother, it's the only explanation for this." One of them murmurs in an awed voice.

I feel the cold stone of a slab under me, touching the bare skin of the back of my body while a thin blanket covers the top of my body, granting me some modesty. "Good, she'll serve just as adequately as the avatar as my daughter would have." Validar murmurs as he leans over me. "Have no worries, this will all be over soon." He places a hand gently on my forehead, sending a cool wave of relief through my head and body, soothing my aches while easing my panic.

I only realize too late that the coolness also washes away the images and feelings I hold for the Ylisseans, the Feroxi, and Robin. There's nothing I can do to stop it but focus on Naga's brand in a deep blue eye, and pray that whoever it is, they are safe, as my vision fades away.

Three Days Later

My eyes slowly open to reveal a dark room, and I can feel a soft bed under me, with luxurious sheets all around me. I turn my head slowly, and find a mass of white hair practically glowing against the dark pillow covering. Sitting up, I hold the blanket to my chest, feeling no clothing under the blankets with a wave of confusion. Where am I, and how did I get here? And who am I?

A tall man enters the room, carrying a towel and a robe. "I see you're awake now, Ava. You must bathe, then wear this while I explain what has happened to you."

I obey the tall man, feeling that he holds the answers that I so desperately want. He is waiting for me when I emerge from the washroom, and helps me into the large robe, designed much more intricately than his, but he offers me nothing to wear underneath. Once the front of the robe is closed, he guides me into the hallway, where a young man bows to me, as though worshiping me.

"Ava, I know that you must be highly confused at the moment, but I assure you, everything will be made clear to you with time." he mutters as we reach a set of doors. "For now though, I would ask that you enter this room, and do not be afraid. The men in there will only instruct you on what you need to know, for now."

I nod slowly, and enter the room alone, shivering at the sound of the door creaking shut. "Welcome, Mistress. We've been awaiting this day for a long time." one of them greets me formally, bowing so low he might just fall over. "Allow us to instruct you in the matters of this world in which you must soon take in hand."

Robin POV, Day Sophia lost her memories (just to clarify time of this occurrence)

I scream in pain, clenching my hand as Chrom and Frederick strain to hold me to the bed in the infirmary. Tears streak down my cheeks as visions of the Fellblood Rite fill my head. "Sophia!" I scream, struggling to put a stop to the horrors only I can see.

"Robin! You have to calm down!" Chrom's voice echoes dimly in my ears, even though I can feel his hands on my shoulders. "Lissa! Tharja! Hurry up with that spell!"

As suddenly as the pain had struck, it vanishes, and a cool wave of relief washes through me as another set of hands comes to rest on my temples. "This ought to keep her calm for a few minutes." Tharja's dark voice murmurs from above me. "Though I think that whatever was causing the pain has passed. Look at her hair and hand."

I open my eyes, and look at my right hand, and my jaw drops in shock. "Th-the br-brand… gone?"

Chrom takes a bit of my hair in his hand. "Black? What does this mean?"

I gasp as I realize what has happened. "Oh gods… she did survive… she's the avatar…" I mutter, relieved to know she's alive, yet scared of what it means now.

Right then, Marth is carried between Stahl and Sully, bleeding and half conscious. Lissa guides them to the bed next to me, and I see just how bad her wounds are, some magical and others pretty bad wounds from some type of blade. "I'm so sorry." She keeps muttering, tears in her eyes as they land on Chrom and me. "I've failed everyone."

"Marth, what happened?" Chrom asks as Lissa gets to work on her injuries.

She winces as a particularly nasty gash closes up on her leg. "We were attacked by the Grimleal, and I was overpowered. I tried to get Sophia onto Jade, but she was still too weak to make it. Some of them were attacking me, but only to distract me from protecting Sophia." The tears start their trek down her cheeks. "I promised I would keep her safe, and I couldn't, and now she'll suffer worse than we could have known." She gasps as sobs wrack her body. "I'm so sorry, Father."

Chrom and I pale slightly. "Father?" he whispers, then we both blush furiously as we glance at each other. "Robin and I are going to be your parents?"

She nods. "I wasn't going to tell you, but I have no choice. You have to know what I come from, and why I'm here."

I smile weakly at her. "Take your time. I have a feeling we'll need to take it slow for a while yet."

Lame update, I know, but you know what, I'm going with my original plan of Sophia being used instead of being able to go back to the Shepherds and Ricken. Just in case you all are getting a bit concerned about the pairing between them, it is still there, just it will get a bit… complicated. Message me or review if there are any questions or need for clarification, which I will address at my earliest convenience.

I do not own Fire Emblem Awakening.


	16. Chapter 16

Ricken POV

I walk into Plegia Castle behind Robin and Chrom, needing to know that everything will be alright. Aversa guides us to the throne room, where we find none other than King Validar standing with a powerful, cloaked and hooded woman at his side, wearing a coat similar to Robin's.

"Ah, Prince Chrom. Welcome to Plegia." He spews darkly, yet diplomatically civil. "I had been expecting that you would be coming with a request for aid, which we can offer you in anything but soldiers."

We are all taken aback at this. "You would grant us aid so easily?" Robin asks tentatively.

He nods slowly. "Indeed I would, as my most trusted advisor and niece, who has only just returned from scouting Valm's forces, informed me that were we to withhold our aid, the entire continent would fall to them. Think of it as a matter of mutual interest, Lady Robin."

"I… guess it makes sense." She mutters, eyeing the woman next to the king. "Might we meet this advisor, by any chance?"

The woman lowers her hood, revealing short, pure white hair barely reaching to her chin, and almost glowing red eyes in a painfully familiar face. "I am the advisor you wish to speak with, Lady Tactician. My name is Ava, and I may be able to answer all of your questions regarding the matter of Valm."

We all hesitate for a minute before getting past the déjà vu sensation. "Well, are their armies as massive as they say they are, for one?"

She nods, almost solemnly. "Indeed they are very mighty, but they hold a weakness in their power structure, as well as an interesting anomaly in their communications. To fight them on their own soil will prove to be difficult, but you Ylisseans… you may manage well enough."

"And who is their leader, Lady Ava?" Chrom asks.

"A warlord by the name of Walhart. He is extremely powerful, and might even give you a run for your coin. Not even I would dare to face him without powerful allies of my own." She answers, so eloquently that I don't even dare to believe this could be Sophia, who was always gruff and to the point with a much more common vocabulary.

Validar chimes in. "Indeed, we have heard much about him from our Grimleal in Valm, being slain by the dozens for attempting to oppose him." He shakes his head. "We know of a resistance group, led by a strong young woman of Chon 'sin. Ava has met with her, and has only sung her praises. In light of this, I will be lending Ava to your forces for this war, per her request and as a personal investment in this war. What are the requests would you have that I may contend with?"

Robin pipes up then. "Ships, weapons, and oil would be a splendid benefit for this campaign, Your Majesty."

Ava nods, and waves over a soldier. "Send the order for the shipbuilders to begin their work on a fleet of sturdy warships, durable yet quickly made. I will personally add the spells to add the finishing touches and fix anything that they cannot attend to." She waves him away. "Lord Validar, I must finish my preparations before I am to leave with the Ylissean League."

He nods to her, bowing slightly, and she walks out a side door, just as another hooded figure, wearing an outfit identical to Robin's, enters the room. "Ah, Prince Chrom, before you leave, I would introduce you to our hierophant, the highest of our Grimleal clergy."

We all nod politely, but something feels particularly off, especially when they do not remove the hood hiding their hair and face from our view. "Forgive my brashness, but it is polite to lower your cowl when in the presence of the Ylissean royalty." Robin whispers to the hierophant.

They sigh, revealing their gender to be female. "Though you are far from home, I guess it is only right that I lower my cowl." She lowers her hood, and it is none other than a woman identical to Robin, only with a few more wrinkles around their eyes, pure white hair, and a deeper wisdom glittering within.

Chrom recoils as Robin and I gasp. "What is this?! Who are you?" he asks, a note of nervousness in his voice as he glances between his wife and the hierophant.

"I am Robin." She answers, and I can see how it would be true, except that Robin's hair turned black a year ago, and this woman's hair is the same white as Lady Ava's.

"Hm, what a coincidence. Interesting, but trivial nonetheless." He directs our attention to Lady Ava, who has just returned with a heavy looking bag on her shoulder. "It seems that my niece is ready to join you, Prince Chrom."

Lady Ava pulls up her hood, concealing her face from our view. "Let us be on our way. I would prefer that we got you and your people out of the valleys before dark, or we would have bandits assailing us through the night."

"Indeed, the road back to Ylisse is truly treacherous. I wish you all well. Also, do give Exalt Emmeryn my greetings, Prince Chrom. I look forward to mending the relations between our countries, starting with this small gesture."

With that, Lady Ava turns to walk out, and we follow with quick bows to King Validar. She guides us out of the palace, along the way various soldiers and maids bowing more deeply to her than they would be expected to bow to their king. I trade a puzzled glance with Robin, but we say nothing.

Finally, when we reach the exit, we all sigh in relief, glad to finally see the light of day once again. Amazingly enough, Lady Ava also releases her own sigh. "As much as I love being here, I guess I have gotten used to the fresh air almost constantly." She turns to look back at Chrom. "Your Highness, if you would kindly take the lead back to where the rest of your forces are, it would be most appreciated."

He nods, and I fall into step next to her as Robin steps forward to walk next to Chrom. "Pardon me, milady, but might I ask you a question?"

I swear she has a smirk on her face, but I can't see her face as she responds, "Technically, you just did ask me a question young man. But you may ask me another." Her voice, so familiar, yet so different, is so light all of a sudden, not weighted down by the presence of her superior.

"Have you ever encountered a girl named Sophia in your country?" I ask, whispering for fear of Robin falling back into her grief.

She sadly shakes her head. "I am afraid the last mention of her was in the final days of the war. There was no reason for us to suspect she would have survived, even when her body was taken away." She sighs, and looks down. "Was she important to you?"

"Yeah. She made me forget that my parents weren't favored in court anymore, and taught me how to use stronger magic faster than I would have thought possible." I smile as her bright eyes seemingly pass before my vision. "She was the strongest person I knew, and I never told her… how much I had come to love her."

She hesitantly places a hand on my shoulder, squeezing slightly, before pulling it back from me. "I am sorry for your loss." She then tilts her head. "By the way, what is your name? You weren't properly announced earlier."

"Ricken." I murmur, and for just a second, I swear the red in her eyes dims slightly.

Robin POV

We finally arrive back at the town, where we gather all of our forces as well as Lucina, who no longer goes as Marth since she told us what had happened. We find it odd that Lady Ava stays on the edge of town, but say nothing, gathering the Shepherds and going back to where we had left her.

"Everybody, this is Lady Ava, King Validar's niece and advisor." Chrom announces, gaining a sudden silence from everybody and a look of fear from Lucina. "She is on loan to us for this campaign, and has valuable information on our enemies. Please be courteous to her while we have her among our numbers."

Frederick steps forward, one hand instinctively going out to catch his wife Sumia as she trips over nothing again. "Milord, can she be trusted?"

Chrom gives him an exasperated glare. "Yes Frederick, or she would have done something sinister to us by now without you there to stop it. And forget trustworthy, she was in Valm for who knows how long gathering the information we can use to bring them down."

"But she is Grimleal." Frederick mutters.

I then catch a glimpse of a gloved hand adjusting her hood, moving it slightly back to reveal her nose and mouth without showing her eyes or hair. "We'll have to disregard it Frederick." I mutter, watching her carefully. "As much as I might share your concerns, the needs of the war outweigh the need for trust."

Suddenly, Vaike grabs Lady Ava's hood and pushes it down. Instantly, she jumps into the air, does an impressive handstand on his shoulders, and knees him on the back of his head. He falls to the ground in a heap, Ava jumping off just before he hits the ground to land on her feet, pulling her hood back up.

The display does not go unnoticed by the rest of the Shepherds, who all draw out weapons, aiming them at her. She simply sighs. "He'll be fine, he's too much of an idiot not to be." She drawls dryly, but that doesn't put everyone at ease, as they continue to hold their weapons at the ready, staring at her. "Why do you stare at me so?" she suddenly growls.

Sully finally answers. "Sophia, you can drop the act now."

Ava frowns. "I don't know what you're talking about. My name is Ava."

A bit of a twist, and here are the pairings I'm gonna go with

Sophia(Ava)xRicken

RobinxChrom

SullyxStahl

SumiaxFrederick

FlaviaxBasilio

CherchexVirion

CordeliaxDonny

EmmerynxLibra

PannexGaius

NowxGregor

TharjaxHenry

LissaxKellam

Say'rixLon'qu

MaribellexVaike

Olivia wanders alone, until I get a review with a description and personality for a man to pair her with.

All of the kids I need to do some research on, but do tell me how you want the pairings to go so I can research it properly, since I've only gotten Lucina, male Morgan, and Nah in the kids category. I never knew that the FrederickxPanne wouldn't bring around any kids, and I was so mad when I found that out a few months ago.

I do not own Fire Emblem Awakening


	17. Chapter 17

Sophia POV

I settle down in my tent, removing my coat and boots to reveal a black sleeveless shirt stopping halfway down my torso, and a black skirt with a split all the way up to my hip, revealing my entire left leg. I yank off my gloves, flexing my fingers and gazing at Grima's brand on the back of my right hand. With a respectful nod to it, I climb into my bed, opening a tome under the sheets just in case some wise person tries to enter my tent without my express permission.

I close my eyes and sigh, finally relaxing from the stressful afternoon with these Shepherds. They are convinced I am their long-dead Lady Sophia, martyr to their cause so that the Plegians would see that peace would never come under Gangrel and his never ending thirst for bloodshed. They claim everything is the same, though I would not hear a word of it. After all, Uncle Validar has only taken care of me, and been honest with me. He saved my life, but at the cost of my memories. In my opinion, it was a small price to pay, and one I am sure is worth it. Besides, why would he lie to me?

A yelling outside the tent catches my ear, and someone calls for help. With a sigh, I get up, not bothering to pull on my boots or coat, and step outside, lifting my tome as I look in the direction of the call. It comes again from the north, with the sounds of combat echoing the voice, even cutting them off. I run in their direction, and find Ricken and Robin struggling to hold off several Risen.

With the flick of a wrist, I put an end to them, causing them both to jump. "Don't you both realize some of us have had a horrible week, and just want to sleep?" I ask calmly, yet revealing my annoyance in my words.

"Forgive us, milady. We were caught off-guard, and they were much stronger than we had anticipated. We will try not to allow this to happen again." She makes to look at my right hand, but I turn it just enough for the moon's rays filtering through the clouds to disguise my mark. "Out of curiosity, are you aware of how… risqué you garb is?"

I flip my tome shut with a shrug. "I can't help what I fight best in. Or what my magic will not destroy easily. There is a reason sorcerers wear so little clothing, after all." I turn around. "If that was all the trouble was about, then I am going back to bed."

Screaming comes from the camp, and I groan. "Oh no, Chrom!" Robin shouts, and for some reason, worry fills me. Ricken and I run after her, and find the Shepherds fighting against a platoon of Risen, who almost seem as though they are being controlled. She pulls out a Thoron tome from one of the pockets of her infinite coat and strikes down a small group of Risen on the edge of the swarm, providing relief to Chrom and Frederick.

Robin runs into his arms, as a furious growl comes from behind me. Instinctively, I jump on top of Ricken, pushing us both down as the swing of a giant silver axe slices the air where we were both standing not one second ago. Frederick stabs the Risen in the chest as I roll off of the mage, opening my tome once more and throwing a strong Goetia spell at a group of Risen charging our way, burning them to ashes in seconds.

Chrom wraps his arms around Robin, shushing her. "It's alright, just focus, okay?"

She nods, and I note the shiver of her body. "Thank you." She whispers.

I look at her, pity filling me. "You ought to stay back, and use your Thoron only if we're having issues."

Frederick turns on me. "And how do we know that you aren't behind this?"

"If I were behind this, then why did that one just try to kill me?" I growl at him, ducking underneath the swing of another axe, the wielder killed by Ricken with a blast of wind from his Forseti tome. "Look, I'm just as clueless as you are, so just kill these things."

"Ricken, stay with Lady Ava!" Robin shouts, which he immediately obeys and stands by my side. Robin stands behind Chrom and Frederick, who fight side by side. Ricken and I weave around each other, I duck while he throws a spell over my back and he jumps as I shoot one past his side, always staying back to back as we take down the Risen in our side of the camp, miraculously none of the tents behind us being damaged in any way.

Eventually, all of the Risen are taken down, and we meet up with the rest of the Shepherds and some creepy dark mage with crows, some of them eying me with distaste and others with raised eyebrows and wolf whistles. "By the gods, enough staring. I'm so done with all of this shit today. Good night." Angrily, I walk away, my skirt billowing behind me as I stomp away, back into my tent. Unfortunately, as I go to close my tent flaps, Robin barges into my tent. "Get out."

"No, not until you tell me what the hell that was all about." I back away from her, a sudden pain building in the back of my head.

"Get out, please!" I trip over my boots, discarded earlier. "Get away from me!"

The pain grows unbearable as Robin shouts for help, the world spinning and fades away.

Robin POV

I sit next to Ava's bed, reading a romance novel that Sumia decided to leave with me a while ago. She doesn't stir at even the loudest shout from Vaike, and her breathing is almost nonexistent. We had Nowi take a look at her, and she came up with the conclusion that she might be a manakete, but couldn't be sure without confirmation from Naga. However, even as I read the book, I can't help but allow my mind to wander to this mystery.

She claims to be Validar's niece, meaning she would be my cousin, but Mother would have known everything about our family, and said that Sophia was the only cousin I had. There is also the reports of spies looking into the family line, and finding that until a year ago, there had been no Ava. So that leaves me with either an adopted sister, or this is just a ploy. If she were adopted, then she wouldn't have Sophia's face, and it wouldn't explain how she has the brand of Grima. I recall Chrom fretting over me when I wasn't feeling well when I had been pregnant with Lucina, but I don't recall the events he claims I was the center of, nor how my hair suddenly gained a color. If this girl has the brand, and I follow the lines of what Chrom described, could that mean…?

Interrupting my thoughts is a groan from the bed. I close my book in time to see her red eyes glaring at me. "You okay?" I ask her, hoping to get her talking.

"I told you to get out, I'm fine." She raises her right hand, bearing the brand, to run over her face.

I make a face at her. "I would hardly say collapsing like that means you're 'fine'. Now, will you answer my question?"

"Will you just appease my request and leave?" she growls back, and clenches her eyes, gasping in pain. "You don't need to see this, I'll be fine to travel in an hour."

I shake my head. "Lissa wanted somebody to watch you, and I took that job."

"I don't need a damn baby sitter. What I need is for you to leave so I can take care of this problem."

"No, Ava. I am not leaving another family member alone again." I growl back at her, finally shutting her up for a second. "I let Sophia go, and she died. If you're Validar's niece like you claim to be, then you're my cousin, and I have a right to stay with you."

She stares at me for a moment. "He mentioned you, once. Said your mother took you away as a baby. You're well suited to this life, but you're trying to get into my life, when I just want you to stay out of it as much as possible."

I grab her right hand. "I have no cousin named Ava, but I have one named Sophia. I saw the Fellblood Rite through her eyes, and I lost my brand to her. This brand used to be on my hand, was once my burden. Your name is not Ava, and you know it, somewhere deep inside."

She pulls out of my grip, and grabs for something under her pillow. "I don't believe you! Just get out!"

I stand up, glaring down at her. "Make me!"

A blast of wind throws me out of the tent, and I land in shock, staring at the tent as I slowly realize that I am unharmed beyond having a rough landing. "You deal with your problems, and I'll deal with mine, Tactician!" she shouts as the tent flaps are tied shut.

Chrom nearly trips over me as he walks over, aiming to go into the tent. "I heard a commotion, what happened?" he asks as he assists me to my feet.

I straighten my coat and look sadly at the tent. "She refused to have me in there to watch her, and threw me out with a wind spell." I then look at him. "Chrom, she bears the brand of Grima. It is Sophia, but she must have been brainwashed by Validar, and maybe even possessed."

He frowns, straightening my hair. "If that's the case, then we need to set Henry and Tharja to finding ways to open her mind, or maybe get Ricken to try talking to her."

"What do you mean?" I ask, tilting my head as we turn to walk to the mess tent, taking a detour to ask that of the two aforementioned mages. Once they accept our request, we continue our conversation as we walk to our original destination for breakfast.

"Before, he and Sophia were seeing each other, then last night they worked together so well, it could have been a dance. And I don't know if you heard them talking as we left Validar's castle, but she was particularly open with him, even going so far as to comfort him at the mention of Sophia." I look down as we enter the tent, processing these events I had ignored. "Of anyone, he would be the one to get through to her, I just have that feeling."

I shrug, and pass him a tray as we grab toast and porridge, then cups for our drinks at the table. "I suppose you have a point there. However, the fact that she thinks her name is Ava is a bit disturbing. What if she's not brainwashed, and that really is her name, and her appearance is just a coincidence?"

"Then it would be a cruel joke of the gods, but if that's the case, then so be it." he mutters, taking a seat next to me and pouring us both orange juice.

We start eating our porridge when Lucina approaches us, fear in her eyes. "Lucina, what's the matter?"

"Aunt Sophia was taken by the Grimleal, you remember that, right?" We both nod. "Well, I know for a fact that this is what happened in my future, and what led to a certain shared dream between Mother and Sophia."

I groan. "Please, please, _please_ tell me there might be a way to get her back."

Chrom rubs my back as our future daughter takes the seat across from me. Silently, we finish our meal, letting Lucina take some of our toast. Dropping off our dishes in the kitchen area to be washed, we walk out of the tent only to see Ava, now wearing her coat with the hood up, sparring with Vaike, though clearly holding back.

Suddenly, he grabs her arm and twists, forcing her to her knees with a gasp, before she somehow dislocates her shoulder and pulls the same move on him. She has him begging to end the match, she twists his arm so much, before Tharja and Henry cast a spell to hold her in place, while Ricken drags the wounded Vaike away.

"What do you think you're doing?!" she shouts, furious.

Henry laughs like mad and Tharja smacks him, though she has a dark smirk on her face. "Oh yeah, there is strong magic on her. This will be fun."

Henry grins like a wolf as he casts another spell, silencing Ava's grunts of efforts to escape the spell. "I wonder if she'll bleed from the force of the spell being lifted?"

Suddenly, pain splits my head as Ava turns her bloody red eyes on me, slightly glowing and filled with pure rage. I cry out as I fall to my knees, clutching my head in a vain attempt to ease the pain. "Stop, please!" I beg, tears cascading down my face.

Chrom steps in between us, Falchion drawn and gleaming, and the pain suddenly stops. "Enough of this Sophia."

A deep chuckling echoes from her throat. "So, you know the true name of this pathetic vessel, chosen of Naga." She answers him in a voice not her own. "You are fortunate this body is so strong, or you would have been dead long ago at my hand." The amusement in her tone changes to one of hate and pain. "I will never fall to that blade again."

With that, the voice howls in pain and she collapses, breathing heavily. Tharja and Henry force everybody to stay back as she starts coughing. Once she's caught her breath, she looks up at us in confusion. "Uh, guys? What's going on?"

Ricken's face lights up, seeing her clear, slightly hazel eyes peeking out from her white hair. "Sophia?"

She gives him a look of astonishment as she rises to her feet. "Who else would I be?"

He pulls her into a bear hug, squeezing the breath from her lungs. "I- we thought we'd lost you."

She slowly returns the hug, burying her face into his shoulder. "I thought I was lost too. You have no idea how good it is to finally remember everything." She pulls out of the hug, and I wipe away my tears, stepping forward to crush her in a hug of my own. "Robin… you're free now." She whispers, and I feel tears beginning to soak my shoulder.

I shush her as best I can. "It's alright Sophia, I've got you."

I watch as Chrom forces everybody to leave but Lissa, Lucina and Ricken. "I didn't want to hurt you, but I wasn't in control. He… he takes over sometimes, that's why I didn't want anyone around."

Chrom sheathes his blade at last, and I step away from Sophia. "Who takes over you?" he asks, asking the question I am sure all of us are wondering.

"Grima. I've been able to suppress him since the Rite last year, but it's taken a lot out of me to do. I just knew that I had to hold him back for as long as possible." She then looks down in mortification at her outfit. "Ugh, I'm gonna kill Aversa."

Lucina finally steps forward. "I don't understand, Sophia. How is it you're the avatar?"

She sighs sadly. "Validar had a brother, just as Robin's mother had her sister. As it just so happens, this younger brother was cast out of the house, and was taken in by the village I called home. Eventually, he met my mother just before the war broke out, then they married when he came home."

I put an arm around her shoulders. "How did you learn all of this?" I whisper.

She gives a humorless laugh. "During the Rite, it was mentioned to Validar that I carried his brother's blood, and later, after he brainwashed me and named me Ava, he told me about the family." She shakes her head. "Honestly, I'm surprised he never came for me sooner, or even our family, for that matter."

Ricken grabs her hand delicately, smiling. "Well, at least he's lost his grip on you."

"It won't be that way for long. I only have through the war before I have no choice but to return, and I'll have to find a way to turn my eyes back to red without allowing Grima to have control."

Okay, calling it quits there. I will be changing Morgan a little bit here. This will be female Morgan, has memories of her parent's names, but will not be Robin's, she will be Ricken and Sophia's daughter. I may bring in a male Morgan for Robin and Chrom, but I seriously doubt it. She will have Ricken's hair down to her waist and hazel eyes from Sophia, and show up being about twelve. Also, she will not be recognized by Lucina and any other kids if I add them, though I may just say they all died to make sure Lucina could help the Ylisseans, I'm not sure yet. Let me know if this idea is okay if I run with it, or if you hate it and will stop reading if I follow that route, since the kids are all very popular with other stories here.

I do not own Fire Emblem Awakening.


	18. Chapter 18

Sophia POV

I breathe in the salty ocean air as I stand at the railing of the flagship, wearing my open coat over my outfit, allowing the cool breeze of night to flow through me. A presence next to me makes me smile, and I open my eyes to find Chrom next to me.

"Hello, Chrom."

"Hey Sophia." We stand in silence for a while, relaxing, before he sighs. "How long have you known you were related to Validar by more than just Robin, in all honesty?"

I shrug. "I honestly only found out several months ago. At the time, I was suffering with amnesia, so I had no way of letting you know what had happened."

Chrom grimaces slightly. "About that… we kind of knew what happened as soon as it did." I give him a look, and he hurries to explain. "You see, Robin had a sudden bout of extreme pain early on in her pregnancy about a year ago, and was seeing things, which she described at the time as being part of the Fellblood Rite. When she finally calmed down, her hair turned to black, and the brand of Grima you now have on your hand vanished. She knew that you were alive in that moment, but seemed to fear that fact more than be pleased by it at the time. When she next woke up, she never remembered any of what had happened to her."

I blink rapidly and put my hands to both sides of my head, breathing slowly as I take all of this in. "I can't imagine her having to suffer through that a second time, even if it wasn't her there. It was excruciating, to say firsthand." I shiver as the cold wind meets my back, suddenly remembering the cold slab under my body.

"Cold?" he asks with a kind smile.

I shake my head. "Memory of the Rite. Thank the gods they had enough decency to put a blanket over me, but it was still so cold."

He shakes his head. "If you're going to go getting flashbacks, then at least go to bed so you'll be warmer."

I look out to the seemingly endless sea. "It's better I don't sleep now, or Grima will try coming out again." I wave him off as he makes to pull me along to the barracks, feeling something suspicious nagging at the back of my mind. "Seriously, I'll be fine without sleep for several days at a time. One of the perks of being a dragon's avatar is that I hardly require sleep, just like manaketes. Although, they love to take naps that last years on end."

He gives me a look, then gives up with a shake of his head. "Whatever you say. Just don't go overboard, you hear?"

I nod with a smile. "Of course Chrom. Good night." He walks away with a tired wave, vanishing into the ship. Dropping the smile, I frown. "Grima, what do you want?" I whisper to him.

" _You know what I want, Avatar._ " He whispers in my mind. " _Don't get too attached to these puny mortals, or I'll be bored watching your mind turn in circles when I gain my place over this world."_ He gives a small, malicious laugh.

"I won't let you have your way that easily, and you know it Grima." I whisper harshly to him.

" _You have so little power, you just fail to realize it."_ he snarls back at me. " _The moment I am awakened, you will regret every friendship you ever made as I use you to slaughter every one of them, starting with your precious Robin."_

My eyes widen, and I shake my head. "I will _never_ bring harm to them, no matter the cost to myself, as you've learnt these past months." With that, I look to the moon, forcing Grima back to his little corner of my mind, having heard enough of his opinions. Suddenly, a scream and a splash shatter the peace of the night. I run to the other side of the ship and gasp, seeing a girl struggling to swim in the ocean. "Somebody, help!" I shout, tearing off my coat and kicking off my shoes before jumping into the ocean myself.

I swim to her as quickly as I can, trying to keep the disgusting tasting sea water out of my mouth as I get closer to her. Suddenly, she dips under the waves, and doesn't come back up, just as I'm a few more beats from her. Without a second thought, I dive under, opening my eyes to find moon beams filtering through the waves. I find the girl, struggling to keep her eyes open as she sinks further into the dark depths. I kick my feet harder, stretching my hand to grab hers, pulling her into me as I aim back to the surface.

We finally get to the air, and I take a deep breath of air before I look to the ship, still sailing onward, but a small rescue boat being rowed in our direction. I turn to the girl in my arms, punching her stomach under the water to force her to cough. Her body reacts accordingly, and she chokes up a ton of water, emptying her lungs and stomach of seawater while the boat makes its way to us.

When she finally stops hacking, I support her with one arm around her and wave to the people rowing to us. "Wh-who are you?" she finally stutters, sounding a few years younger than me and extremely confused.

I look at her with pity. "Sophia, I'm with the Shepherds. Don't talk any more, a healer needs to take a look at you before you try talking any more, alright?"

She nods, resting her head on my shoulder as the boat finally gets to us, Robin and Chrom setting aside oars to pull us in. "Why is it that you seem to disobey a simple order so easily, Sophia?" he jokes as he pulls the girl up next to Robin.

I roll my eyes as Robin hoists me up. "I never said I wouldn't go for a late night swim, I just said I wouldn't go overboard. Besides, it wasn't an accident."

Robin throws a blanket over the shivering girl, frowning. "You remind me of someone." She murmurs.

I squeeze the water out of my hair as best I can, shivering slightly as the breeze chills the water on me as well. "She needs a healer, she almost drowned. I had to force her to choke up a ton of water."

Chrom wraps his cape around me before taking up the oars once again. "Well, I guess it's a good thing I made Lissa and Libra wait for us on the deck."

Long before we reach the ship, the girl falls asleep, leaning on Robin so much that we have to lay her down on the bottom of the boat. I keep a hand on her to monitor her pulse, slow and strong despite the trauma. Eventually, we reach the ship, where Lissa fusses over me so much that Kellam's presence made apparent by his offering my coat makes her jump. Libra takes the girl I rescued below decks to the small infirmary we have set up just for emergencies like this, presumably to examine her with a more expensive healing staff.

Eventually, I get Lissa to step back and go to change clothes. Upon entering the room I share with Ricken, I smile at him, sleeping in a chair with a candle still lit. I gently run my fingers through his hair, waking him up like I had so long ago after being rescued from the dungeons. He immediately wakes up, leaning slightly into my hand before standing up and pulling me into a strong hug.

"Why are you all wet?" he finally asks.

I giggle at his query, thinking it to be obvious. "I took a dip in the ocean to save a drowning girl."

He pulls back in shock, eyes wide and alert. "That explains a lot. I'll step out so you can change into something dry."

Once he shuts the door, I pull my bag from under my bunk. The first thing I pull out is a small dagger, the one that Basilio gave me with the matching sword for my birthday. I set it aside, reaching again to pull out a fresh dress, not quite as revealing as the soaked one I've worn for days now, but still more showy than I would like, no thanks to Aversa for choosing my wardrobe. This dress is dark purple with dark trimming, sleeveless with a v-neck that shows just a little of my chest, and splits up to my mid thighs on both sides, and a belt around my waist made of bronze circlets.

With my outfit on, I pull on my boots and coat, thankful that I thought to kick them off before jumping off, stepping out into the hallway. "Ricken, would you go with me to see this girl in the infirmary, please?"

"Of course." He offers me an arm, which I wrap my hand around and he guides me down another level, where we come to a slightly ajar door, where the sound of a person trying to soothe someone else crying echoes out. I push open the door to find Libra trying to calm the girl. "Libra, what happened?" he asks as I go to sit next to the girl, who calms almost as soon as I take her hand and at the sound of Ricken's voice.

Libra shakes his head. "I'm not sure Ricken. She woke up a few minutes ago and was upset by something."

I spare him a glance before I stare at the girl, her hazel eyes filled with tears. "Mama? Daddy?" she whispers, looking between Ricken and I.

I frown in puzzlement before looking at her hair, the exact shade of Ricken's hair color. A solid thunk jolts me out of my thoughts, and I look at the source, finding a passed out Ricken being tended to by Libra. "Parents? Us?" I ask her.

She nods and sits up before pulling me into a strong hug. "I missed you Mama. I promise I'll never wander off in the ruins like that again."

I hesitantly wrap my arms around her, confused beyond much reasoning. "I don't understand… where do you come from? Lucina never told me about you."

She gasps and leans away from me. "Luci's here too?! Can I see her? Please, please! With tons of sugar on top?"

I blink slowly, trying to piece everything together in my frazzled brain as Ricken sits up with a gasp. "Sophia, did she say that we were her parents?" he asks in confusion and disbelief.

I nod at him. "Yes she did, and sweetie… what's your name?"

"I'm Morgan. Sheesh Mama, did you both hit your heads on something? How could you both forget me? After all the pranks me and Uncle Chrom pulled on you all the time?" she laughs at us.

I turn to Libra with apprehension. "Libra, could you fetch Robin, Chrom, and Lucina? I think we need a private family meeting here."

He silently steps out of the room, closing the door gently behind him. Ricken finally gets up from the floor and takes a seat at the vacated chair, resting his eyes on Morgan. "How old are you?" he asks her.

She frowns. "I just had my twelfth birthday a couple weeks ago, Daddy."

"Morgan, I'm eighteen, and Sophia is only sixteen. You must have fallen through a time portal like Lucina did before the last war." Morgan's face falls, as she realizes why we seem to have 'amnesia.' "Look, I'm not saying that it's not impossible, it's just that we aren't quite old enough to have a child yet, and we aren't even married. It would be improper."

I roll my eyes at that. "Somehow, being involved with me is considered improper Ricken."

Morgan finally lightens at that. "You always say that when someone says anything about you guys being married."

The door opens, and Lucina walks in behind her parents, confused at the girl sitting up in the bed. "Libra said something came up?"

"Yes, something indeed. Ricken fainted when we realized." He blushes furiously as we stifle our chuckles. "Guys, this is Morgan, our daughter from the future."

Robin pales, then looks me over. "Tell me you haven't…"

I blush furiously. "No! I would never…!"

Chrom merely chuckles. "Well, she's better than we were, eh Robin?"

She blushes as well, remembering something or other that she found embarrassing he just referred to. "I don't even want to ask." I mutter under my breath.

Lucina stares at Morgan for a moment. "I'm sorry, but I don't know her. Could she have come from a different timeline than me?"

Morgan rolls her eyes at Lucina. "Luci! Enough joking, you know me! I'm your cousin!"

"Er- Morgan, I hate to crash your party, but where I come from, you never existed."

Okay, done. You got the gist of it, so let me know what thoughts are swirling in your brains. You know you want to review, cuz I know I would love to give some more shout outs.

I do not own Fire Emblem Awakening.


	19. Chapter 19

Lucina POV

I hold tightly to the hilt of Falchion as I step onto the deck, finding Morgan standing with Sophia at the railing. "Sophia, a word please?"

"Excuse me for a moment, Morgan." She steps over to me. "What is it?"

I sigh. "Chrom says we ought to be meeting with the Valmese fleet in less than a few hours, and would appreciate it if you could get Morgan onto a different ship. I would also ask that you stay with her, but I have a feeling you'll be more of an asset on the flagship than waiting for the rest of us to crash the fleet."

She puts a hand on my shoulder, smiling. "I understand your concern, but I'll be alright. And I will take care of getting her to safety." She gives a soft smile, the first I have seen in a long time. "I know it's strange, but I feel more like an older sister to her than her mother, and I want to keep her safe no matter what."

"You were forced to grow up sooner than you were meant to, and it's lead you down a dark road. She at least has a chance to grow up with an innocent heart, and you would do anything to keep her from following the same path. It's perfectly reasonable." I step back from her, and she seems glad of something.

"You know, she mentioned that the timeline she came from had no threat from the Grimleal, that Chrom's father had won the war with Plegia due to Robin's mother providing the tactics for the end of the war, and Ylisse had prospered without the threat of the Fell Dragon or Gangrel, and she knew my parents and Robin's mother. I had grown up in the palace with Ricken as my best friend, and we eventually married." A sadness gleams in her eyes as she looks at Morgan. "She lived in a perfect world, and I want to keep her protected from the evils in this one, yet I know I can't. I'm not the mother she knew then, and I can never be her mother."

I turn Sophia around to Morgan's direction. "No, but you can do all you can to show that you love her, no matter where or when she is from. Deep down, you are still her mother." I then give her a small push. "Take her someplace safe."

With that, I turn around and go back to the small cabin used for Mother's office and the meeting room. I find Mother and Father along the way, and join them. "Father, she'll be taking care of getting Morgan to another ship."

He nods. "Thanks, Lucina. Feel like joining us for the final plan with Basilio and Flavia?"

"That would be a good idea, since I never caught the whole plan earlier." I murmur, eliciting a snort from Mother.

"Good, since I just came up with a better one." We enter the room, taking seats in the chairs before the Khans barge in. "Hello."

"Hey, we heard you have a new idea." Flavia almost shouts. "Gods know we need it, those ships are moving fast in our direction."

"I couldn't help but notice we had a generous supply of oil from the Plegians stashed aboard the ships. If we could find a way to get it onto the Valmese ships, it would be a start." Basilio murmurs.

Mother shakes her head. "If we had catapults, I would use those. However, since we do not have those, we would wind up setting ourselves aflame. What we need to do is board their main vessel, take out their commander, and use the oil then."

"But Mother, wouldn't we risk setting our own vessels ablaze with the forces returning to our ships delaying the retreat?"

That insane smirk I've grown familiar with sparks. "We don't retreat to the ships, we just jump overboard, and then the other ships will send the rescue boats to pick us up. Meanwhile, we aim the ships to hit the Valmese fleet, having set ours aflame already."

The Khans look at each other with predatory grins, making me slowly inch away from them. "It's not a half bad idea, none would think to set our fleet aflame and use the ships as weapons themselves." Flavia chuckles. "You make me wish we had made you stay in Regna Ferox all those years ago."

Basilio laughs. "You have that right woman! This'll throw them for a loop, that's for sure."

Mother stands up as a horn blares from the deck, alerting us to the approaching fleet arriving soon. "Prepare the troops, move all heavily armored soldiers to other vessels with rescue boats, or pair up with a flier. Get others moving the oil onto the decks and to the fronts of the ships so we can give them a… toasty welcome."

Sophia POV

I wince as our flagship approaches the commanding vessel of the Valmese fleet, feeling Grima stir at the prospect of destruction. _Grima, I hope this gets it out of your system. From what I've heard, Walhart wants you dead just as bad as any of the Shepherds. And regardless of what you may think, I would rather die at the hands of the Shepherds than that tyrant._

 _For once, I will heed what you say, Avatar. I will not allow you to die at Walhart's blade, as you have made much better company than Robin ever did._ Grima whispers in my mind.

I raise an eyebrow at him. _Is that some sort of backhanded compliment?_

 _Take it how you will, it makes little difference to me, so long as you stay alive long enough for the final stage of my full resurrection._ He growls, before he suddenly chuckles. _Although, I may lend you some of my power so I can enjoy the show, as I haven't had much for entertainment for the past millennium._

"Sophia?" Ricken's voice registers, and I turn to him with a frown, still processing Grima's offer, and silently rejecting him. "Are you alright? I've been trying to get your attention for a couple minutes."

I smile tightly at him. "I'm okay, just having a… discussion." I can still feel Grima's presence in my mind, trying to once more take over my body. "Listen, I don't know what will happen when we're here, but I just wanted to tell you now… do not take everything you see for what it is."

He frowns at this. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"There is a magician working for Walhart as the tactician, Exellus. He knows of my origins, and has been trying to turn me to their cause with promises of rewards. He didn't know what to threaten me with before, but if he somehow learns that we are involved, he would use you and anyone else against me." I turn my gaze away from him. "If he finds out, you will find me no longer an ally, but you would be spared until I could save you. I know my history is less than stellar, and stained with the blood of many. But if he were to threaten any of you or the Shepherds, it would destroy me."

He turns me around by the shoulders and I bury my face into his shoulder, catching a whiff of mint and wood smoke. "I won't let it happen to you again. I don't want to see you suffer anymore."

I grip his robes and inhale slowly. "Ricken, I'll suffer as long as I must if it means those I love are safe, even die for them again if it is for the best."

He forces me to look into his eyes, and I see a deep, hidden pain in the building tears in his eyes. "I thought I had lost you once, and it destroyed all of us to see how loyal you were to us in that sacrifice. To lose you again would be too much."

Slowly, I rise onto my toes and lean up towards his face. "I know, and I never wished to bring about that kind of pain."

He wraps his arms more tightly around me as I wrap my arms around his neck. "When this is all over, promise me you'll find a way back to me, that you'll escape Validar."

"I swear it." I whisper, my eyes fluttering shut as his lips meet mine in a delicate kiss, warm and reassuring, sealing the one promise I will keep even if it kills me.

Okay, gonna cut this one short for a decent reason. I can't really think of anything to change the war with Valm until the end, so in the next update, I'll be doing that, and it will probably be either fairly short or a bit longer than some of the past chapters.

I do not own Fire Emblem Awakening.


	20. Chapter 20

Okay, before we get going here, I'm gonna warn you, this is a tiny time skip, followed during the chapter with another time skip for most of the war in Valm, so here's how it'll go: skip ship battle, read my version of the first Valm battle, skip to see Tiki, read that, skip to conversation where Basilio goes to fight Walhart, and I'll keep going from there. Message or review if I need to come back and elaborate a bit more on what I chose to skip.

Robin POV

We take the small rescue boats and ferry our forces onto the sandy beach with the help of wind magic, making the process go a whole lot faster. Shortly after dawn, half of our forces are on the shore, and I find Sophia staring at the small port city intently, as though searching for someone.

I put a hand on her shoulder, causing her to glance my way. "What is it you're looking for?"

"Say'ri, she ought to be around here by now, but I see no traces of her presence." She answers, frowning as she turns back to the city. "I want to say we go into the city and search, but we'd need reinforcements waiting on the beach if a patrol finds us."

I raise an eyebrow. "Impressive tactical decision. Where'd you pick that up?"

"Only from the best cousin around and her daughter." I sigh at that, worried for baby Lucina back home once again. "Robin, she'll be fine. I don't know why you fear otherwise, but she's in good hands."

"I know, but it's my baby girl, and I can't help but worry." I lift the box I had nearly forgotten I was holding. "By the way, if you wouldn't mind taking all of your things back?"

"My things?" she mutters, taking the box and opening it to find all of the gifts from her birthday arranged neatly on a belt, as well as a small golden whistle. Lifting the new item, she asks, "What about this?"

Chrom, seeing what I'm doing, walks over to us and smiles. "Why don't you try it out?"

Hesitantly, she raises the whistle to her lips, then blows gently into it, letting loose a high yet sweet sound over the beach and into the sky. A shriek echoes the sound, and her wyvern Jade touches down in front of us, outfitted with a new saddle and shining armor. She gasps and hugs the dragon around the neck, getting her hair nipped by the sharp teeth in a return greeting.

She looks to me with tear-filled eyes. "I thought she was dead?"

"We almost were, in all honesty." Lucina mutters, walking up to Jade and rubbing a spot between her eyes. "When they took you away, we were both badly beaten, but she was strong enough to fly me to Ylisstol, and collapsed from her wounds. She was lucky I know a bit of dragon medicine, or we would have had to put her down."

The dragon crows, and nudges Lucina affectionately. "Lucina… I have no idea how you do it." she murmurs.

A sudden yelling cuts off the happy vibes, and I can see a woman in an outfit similar to Lon'qu's running through the streets, evading a squad of heavily armored opponents. "Sophia, who is that?"

She looks over at the woman, then her face twisting into a demonic mask as she notes the pursuers. "Say'ri. She needs help, and fast."

"Lucina, Sophia, fly out and see about giving her a new weapon, I don't see any on her. We'll follow in a moment." At my order, they hop onto Jade and fly off.

Chrom takes my hand and we run over to the others. "Shepherds!" he shouts, gathering their attention. "Split into two groups, and pair off from there. We have a rescue mission into the city, and have to provide backup to Lucina and Sophia."

As they arrange themselves, I pull out my map of the city, marking the places where we can best fight the Valmese in my mind with who to send to these locations. "I want Frederick and Chrom leading the groups! Frederick, you take your group south once we pass the gate, Chrom yours goes west to aid the girls!" I shout over the din, receiving affirmative shouts from both as they organize their groups and settle their weapons.

Frederick's group finishes getting ready first, settling on his Shepherds being Sully, Stahl, Sumia, Panne, Gaius, Lissa, Kellam, Cherche, Virion, Nowi, and Gregor, all of whom paired with their respective spouses. Frederick leads them over to me, and I send them on their way, giving them once last glance before they pass through the gate. Not five seconds later, I see a flash of light as Nowi and Panne transform and hear the sounds of battle cries. Chrom leads Ricken, Flavia, Basilio, Cordelia, Donny, Tharja, Henry, Lon'qu, Maribelle, Vaike, and Olivia over to me.

"Ready for this?" Chrom asks, briefly taking my hand in his.

I nod. "As ready as ever." With that, we make our own charge into the fray.

Not a single soldier comes from the direction I had sent Frederick's group, proving they are doing alright. However, a swarm of Valmese heads our way from the north, screaming battle cries. Pulling out our weapons of choice, mine being a recently acquired Bolganone, we run to meet them, screaming our own battle cries.

I throw spells into the middle of their troops, cooking many alive as they are unable to dodge or see the spell they run into too late to pass it. Men scream in agony as the lava melts through their heavy armor, cooking them alive before either passing out or dying as their organs give out on them. As they get closer, I put away Bolganone, favoring Thoron for the closer battles. Whipping out the first bolts, I aim for the mages, who are armed with powerful anima tomes they use with almost deadly accuracy, nearly killing Vaike before Maribelle heals him. Throwing the deadly bolts, two of them explode in a gory mess, their remains charred and smoking as they coat their still living allies' armor. On the final mage, the bolt misses as he steps slightly to the side, smirking as they throw a pillar of fire my way.

Before I can even think to react, Ricken intercepts the fire with a wind spell from his Forseti tome, arching the flame enough that it glides over the fight, redirecting the spell enough to hold the mage's concentration enough for me to throw another bolt of lightning, this time charring the mage to a crisp. With a nod of thanks, I switch my tome out for a silver sword, cutting down a less armored myrmidon attempting to get into Chrom's blind spot. Blood sprays over me as a feral scream echoes over the battlefield, halting all fighting, though I can't help but feel a slight sadness behind its source.

Sophia POV

As the Shepherds make their way into the city, we touch down next to Say'ri in front of a house with the door slightly ajar. Before getting off, I throw a Mire spell at the squad, making the stone at their feet swallow them up slowly and turning the blood in their bodies into poison, discoloring their veins into a disturbing black.

Climbing down, I turn to Say'ri, finding her staring at me. "Lady Ava? You've returned with the help you promised?"

"And then some." I pull the sword from my belt, offering it to her by the hilt. "I know it's not a killing edge, but it's better than nothing for now. Are you still able to fight?"

She nods. "Aye, milady, I am more than capable of fending off these fiends of destruction beside the Ylissean League."

Lucina, still atop Jade, nods, a grim smile on her face. "Good, I am glad for us to have another able and willing fighter for the cause. Sophia, we'll need to warn the people that there is a major fight going down here, before another squad finds us."

I nod. "You take Say'ri and Jade, and hurry about. I'll linger here a while to delay anyone who might try to follow."

"Sophia?" Say'ri asks, then shakes her head. "I'll ask about this later, the people are more important at the moment. Milady, might I ask your name?" she asks as she turns to Lucina.

"Lucina, Say'ri. It's a pleasure to finally meet you." She says as she offers a hand to the other woman, helping her up into the saddle behind her. "Hang on tightly to me, and tell me where the townsfolk are that need warning."

They lift off just as I hear the sounds of combat again, and I find a Dragonstone at my feet, dropped presumably by some careless merchant or manakete fairly recently. I pocket the item and pull out my Mjolnir tome, knowing that it is strong enough to take out a couple of soldiers at once, though taxing to use. Stepping towards the next corner, I hear footsteps with strict orders to keep formation as they round the corner. Pulling up my hood, I step back into a shadow, concealing myself within the darkness of shadow and the dark coat I wear.

As they round the corner, an arrow from their forces punctures my tome, rendering it useless as it destroys the pages, leaking raw power from the useless cover. I try to absorb the power as it cascades from the book as I reach into my bag for another tome, when I accidentally grab the Dragonstone too hard. Without another second to think, Grima mutters to me, _I'll help you take care of this rabble._

In a fog of shadows, my body transforms into that of a small dragon, slightly larger than a normal manakete, but not much bigger than that. My scales ripple with black, purple, and red glimmers as they reflect in the sunlight. My tongue slithers out from a long snout as I spread my wings, spanning from one building to the other across the alleyway.

With a roar of fury and hate, purple and red flames spew from my mouth, stealing the life force of the squad rather than scorching them with flames. Their screams tear into my sensitive ears, but I revel in the sound of their suffering under Grima's influence, sick at heart that anyone could enjoy this kind of destruction. Fighting for full control, I give a grieving roar, more fierce and mournful than any heard before, effectively forcing Grima back, though maintaining my dragon form.

I hear no sounds of battle anymore, and take to the skies, headed south towards the city entrance. I realize that I'm too high up, and go into a steep dive, finding myself diving straight for a group fighting Chrom and Robin, though the fighting has paused. Eyes widening as they fix on me, I hear a muttered curse before I release a fountain of flames over the Valmese, sucking away their life force for myself. The Shepherds scream and point at me as I circle above them, even aim their weapons my way, but at a shout from Chrom all offensive gestures stop and they clear a space for me to land.

I land clumsily in front of them and transform back into a human, finding my clothes gone, but the coat shut over me to preserve some modesty. "Ain't this familiar." I mutter under my breath, blushing furiously as I pull up my hood, finding the material smoking slightly. I look up to find everyone eyeing me nervously, and fidget under their scrutiny. Pulling the coat slightly tighter over my chest, I mutter, "Have the decency to not stare so much and give me another Dragonstone."

Robin shakes her head. "I'm afraid Nowi is in the other group, and she has all of them with her."

My blush darkens considerably and I fidget even more. "C-could you tell me which way they went?"

Vaike laughs, not realizing the indecency of the situation. "What's the matter, afraid to be human?"

"More like I would rather not feel like I'm not just waking up in the Rite." I mutter under my breath. Robin looks at me in confusion, not having remembered every detail of the Grimleal ceremony. I step closer to her so that I can whisper to her, "Nothing under the coat. I would like to have a way to fight and preserve a bit more modesty."

She blushes slightly herself, and grabs my arm. "We'll be right back, I gotta get her something out of the supplies." We run off before anyone can question what's up with me, but I can feel Chrom's eyes following us before we run out of their sight.

Right outside the gate, we meet up with Lucina and Say'ri, who eye us in confusion as we rush in their direction. "Mother, Sophia? What's going on? We saw that dragon land over by you, and were about to head there."

"I would rather not talk about right now. Gotta get a Dragonstone." I breathe as we pass, my hood beginning to slide back and revealing my blushing face a bit more.

Okay, you got the gist of this fight, so I'll continue in the next chapter. If you really don't like that, then review and I'll take this one down and finish the battle, then post it with the next chapter because I'm evil and cranky like that. Hope you enjoyed otherwise.

I do not own Fire Emblem Awakening.


	21. Chapter 21

Robin POV

Chrom pulls me close in bed late in the night, and I relax into his hold. "Robin, what's on your mind?"

I sigh, tucking my head under his chin. "Sophia, mostly, and her future family. I'm worried that Morgan's appearance will make her think she needs to rush into a relationship with Ricken, and they'll both do something they'll regret."

He smiles into my hair, pressing a gentle kiss into my head. "They both know better than to do that. There's too much going on now for them to even consider trying anything more than what we see in public."

I smile, closing my eyes slowly, letting my eyelashes brush delicately over his neck. "But she's also been growing more distant, ever since we landed in Valm. How do we know that Grima's not controlling her?"

"I think he's still too weak to have enough control over her to turn on us. We'll be able to ask Tiki when we get there tomorrow, alright?" he wraps his arm over my waist, arranging the other under his pillow. "Sleep, we need our tactician in top shape for tomorrow's battle to free the Voice."

I yawn and snuggle closer to his warm body, pulling the blanket closer over us as I lose track of reality in favor of dreams.

Sophia POV

I wake up in a panic, Ricken bent over me with worry in his eyes with a hand on my shoulder, which woke me up. "Sophia? Is it a nightmare?" I sit up and yank him close, burying my face in his shoulder, shaking as I cling to him, tears leaking from my eyes. His arms come around me, hands threading through my short hair and rubbing my back. "It's alright, you're safe with me Sophia." He whispers in my ear.

I finally pull away from him, smiling slightly as I keep a hold on his sleeve. "I'm sorry for waking you up."

He shakes his head, and moves a hand to gesture at the small table in the tent. "I woke up a while ago, so you didn't wake me." He rubs a thumb under each of my eyes. "Was he trying to threaten us again?"

I shake my head. "No, it was Validar. He knows everything, somehow. He knows I've remembered, and that we're in a relationship again. But I don't understand how."

He looks lost in thought for a moment, before making a sound of irritation, and pulling me in for a kiss. I melt under his influence, wrapping my arms around his neck as I return the gesture, moving my lips against his ever so slightly. He pulls back, and I look at him, seeing a sudden calm in him, and feeling the same for myself. "It doesn't matter, he was bound to learn sooner or later. What matters is that you don't let him force you to do anything you don't like."

I nod as I lay back in bed, and he pulls the blanket up over me. "I know Ricken. I just can't help but worry that he can still use Robin."

"She's just as strong as you, she won't fall under his thumb that easily, I can guarantee you. Now, go to sleep, I know how much transforming into a dragon tires you out." He presses a kiss to my forehead, then gets off my bed, going to sit back at the desk with his tome once more.

I close my eyes and drift in the darkness of my mind, finding Grima huddled in the corner of my mind, wearing my body and bearing his red eyes rather than my hazel ones. _Have you been telling Validar what I've been doing?_

 _No, avatar. You are more watched here by Grimleal than you think, though none in your ranks, you will be pleased to know._ He growls.

 _You seem a bit more quaint than usual. What's with you?_ I ask, genuinely curious and worried for the Fell Dragon, as he is a part of me now.

He snorts, flashing into a dragon form for a second before answering, _I never liked that Tiki. She's a pest, though a very loyal one. I admired that in her, once, before she shared with Marth how to put me to sleep a millennium ago._

 _Then look the other way, and don't try taking over while we're here, alright? I won't bug you about it if you won't bug me._

 _You have a deal, avatar._

Light filters into my eyes as I sit up, finding Ricken gone, and the smell of breakfast filling the air. I throw off the blanket, finding my nightshirt crumpled more than usual, a sign I must have been tossing and turning all night. Shrugging it off, I make sure the tent flaps are tied shut, then pull off the shirt, revealing blood-stained bandages wrapped around my torso from a blow I took yesterday for Robin, similar to one Tharja got from protecting Robin as well. I cut away the bandage, finding the wound hardly even scarred my pale skin, regardless of Lissa's belief that it would leave a nasty scar. I shrug it off as I pull on some clean smallclothes, then search for a clean skirt and top, but only coming up with a dress that hardly reaches mid-thigh, with a split up to my hip on one side, and a sleeve down to my palm to cover my right arm and the brand, not even a strap on the other shoulder, leaving it bare to the sun. With a sigh, I pull on the garment, unhappy with the way it clings to my body, sure that Aversa did this purely to try getting me raped.

I shrug on my coat, pulling on my boots as I walk out of the tent, making sure the front of the massive coat is shut so nobody sees my hideous wardrobe until I find something better to wear. Making my way to the mess tent, a set of footsteps, nearly silent, follows along behind me. I stop and turn around, finding Tharja standing behind me, a Flux tome open and ready to use.

"What do you want, Tharja?"

She gives me a dirty look, hate in every line of her body. "You're the reason she was so down on herself. I was there that day, when you fell from the cliff." She turns a page of her tome, to a more powerful spell within the book. "I had to keep an eye on her to make sure she didn't do anything she would regret, and I had to cheer her up more times than I can count."

"A suffering I wish I had never had to bring upon her, but it was either me or Emmeryn. A Fellblood or an Exalt. I took the path that I thought would save more lives from suffering than allowing a country to possibly fold in on itself from the loss of a leader." I cross my arms, gripping a knife in each hand under the sleeves of the coat. "What do you want?"

"I want Robin safe, and you're not helping. You carry the Fell Dragon within you, and I know he's listening to this." I flinch at the truth she spews. "I know he will use you against us, and torture her with your body as his vessel."

"I won't deny this, but I will suffer just as much as any of you when the time comes, if it ever does." I loosen my arms from their position in front of my chest. "If the time comes where I feel I would bring more harm than good, I will take myself out of the situation- permanently."

Instead of setting her at ease, she only seems to gain more confidence, raising her hand and tome slightly more. "Rather than allow you a chance to bring her more harm, allow me to test a theory. If I were to take you down now, much suffering would be averted. Robin would be hurt for a while, and may hate me, but she would never need to worry over you again. If I were to destroy you now, it would destroy the Fell Dragon you now carry, saving you the pain of that burden."

As her hand glows, I make clear the knives I hold. "I wouldn't do that, Tharja. You will lose the trust of the Ylisseans, and earn their endless hunt for revenge. Branded a traitor of Ylisse and Plegia, as well as Ferox, you would only have this continent to turn to for asylum, and they would rather have your head for being a part of the party fighting to end their conquest. You would have no place to go, and would be struck down the moment any who know of you sees even your shadow." I raise one of the knives as she falters. "If you even did manage to succeed, the Grimleal would find a way to revive him, maybe in another century or so, but they would find a way. You would only push my suffering onto another, and even make it possible that Robin would become the Avatar once more. Would you really risk that?"

The light dims from her hand as hate and fear twists her face. "You better make sure it never comes to that, or I will make you pay dearly." With that, she shuts her tome and brushes past me roughly.

 _Grima, is she right? Should I just stay away from them, and save us all some pain?_ I ask the dragon.

He sighs in irritation. _I don't fancy that either of us should run the risk of being killed by her. You may speak to Tiki, but then I would suggest being particularly careful around her, or she might even attack you._

 _Hah, not something I would object to, in all honesty, though I know you do._ I crack humorlessly as I slowly follow in Tharja's path to the mess tent. _But if I were to fall, would you return to Robin as the previous Avatar?_

 _I would prefer not to, but if she's still alive and you fall, there is an enormous chance of that happening, but only if Validar gets her._

I smile slightly as the tent looms in front of me. _Thank you, Grima._ "Sophia?" Lucina's voice jolts me out of my reverie.

"Lucina, what is it?" I ask, worried by her blank expression.

"Mother says she can feel something in the back of her mind, and gets random pains, ever since the night you returned to us." I frown, looking around the tent, spotting Chrom massaging her neck lightly as she leans forward, rubbing her temples. "Do you have any ideas of what's going on?"

I shake my head slowly, feeling Grima bristle at the news. "No, but has there been anything else accompanying the pains?"

"She says she spoke to Validar one time, before we left from Port Ferox."

I hurry over to her, pulling out of one of my pockets a small charm, designed for protection of the mind. Settling a hand on one of her shoulders, I grab her hand with the other, pressing the charm into her palm. "This might help, but I make no guarantees."

She looks up at me with relief in her slightly red eyes. "Thanks Sophia."

Okay, done here for today. I gave you the TharjavsSophia that I've been trying to figure out. This is just a filler so I can have an update, so take it as a support chapter for every conversation or whatever if you want one of those, since I've heard they are a bit lacking in that department.

I do not own Fire Emblem Awakening.


	22. Chapter 22

Robin POV

I duck under the swing of a myrmidon, allowing Chrom to retaliate with a swing of Falchion, ending our opponent's life. I shout for Tharja to focus on a Dark Mage approaching behind her, as a small explosion sends enemy soldiers screaming in agony and fear. In the middle of the explosion is her boyfriend Henry, in all of his bloody glory, laughing as usual. I glance around, searching for Ricken and Sophia, finding no trace of them on the ground, before blocking the blade of a weak swordsman with my own silver sword, backing up slightly before charging up a quick thunder spell, aiming it at his feet, unarmored and damp from walking in between the roots of the Mila Tree. He is instantly fried, nothing more than a crispy corpse as I look to the skies, still finding no trace of the two youngest of our forces as a heart-wrenching scream I've only ever heard once before.

"Sophia! Where is she?!" I shout to Chrom over the crashing of the battle.

"I don't know! I can't find her or Ricken!" he replies, before ducking under the swing of a particularly strong Knight. "Where were they supposed to be?!"

"In the skies over us!" a scream again echoes over the sounds of combat, and all fighting on our side seem to fight even harder than before, desperate to find who is suffering so much. "That's her screaming!" I then look to where I had seen Tharja but a moment ago, seeing no trace of her anywhere. "Where is Tharja?! She should be backing us up!"

I throw a thunder spell at the Knight, weakening him long enough for Chrom to strike a good hit while I switch to an Elthunder tome. "We have to push on, we'll find them later!"

"Right!" I turn to a dark mage trying to sneak up on us. "Time to tip the scales!" I scream, letting loose the strongest spell I can, leaving not even ashes of my enemy.

Sophia POV

"Sophia!" Ricken catches me as I fall backwards screaming, burns covering my arms and face from Tharja's spell. "Tharja, stop this!"

"No! She will be our undoing, and you know it! Step aside Ricken, or you'll suffer the same fate!" she snarls at him.

I growl and try to push him away. "Dammit Ricken, get Robin! I'll be fine!"

"No, I'm not leaving you to her." His voice quivers as he mumbles into my ear.

A laugh I hate suddenly bursts from behind us, and I turn to find Excellus, in all his disgusting glory. "Well then, Sophia, I've found something worth knowing. But you know, I can't have you running around and wrecking my plans." He throws a Forseti gust at us, knocking Ricken and I to the ground, and I scream once more in pain as I land on both my burns and on my head. He then grabs us by the wrists and teleports away, bringing us with him to the Valmese palace throne room. "You Majesty, I have them both."

"You are dismissed then, Excellus. Make the rounds of the forts while I speak with our guests." Walhart's voice booms from the other end of the red carpet, where he sits in his blood red, demonic armor, complete with the horns on his helmet. Excellus bows hurriedly and vanishes as fast as humanly possible, enticing Ricken to pull me into his arms again and check my wounds. The demon emperor then rises and approaches us, offering a Vulnerary to Ricken. "I told him I wanted you both here unharmed, and he disobeyed my direct orders, for which he shall be severely punished."

Ricken accepts the potion and tips it into my mouth, instantly healing my burns and the lump on my head, before drinking some himself. I rise slowly on my own to sit properly rather than being slumped in Ricken's arms. "Not that I don't appreciate your giving us the Vulnerary, but why would you want to talk to us, or rather, why bring in Ricken?"

His frown deepens as he crosses his arms. "You are both too young to be in this war, and I have heard the two of you are quite the fighters. Moreover, Sophia, or should I say, Lady Ava, you have caused me quite a lot of problems."

I glance at Ricken with worry. "Please understand, I was not myself when I came here first. I was being controlled by the Grimleal."

"It does not matter! There are no excuses for what you did, and for that, you shall also be punished."

Fear enters my mind as a chill creeps up my spine. "What of Ricken? He's done nothing to you or your men! I've kept him out of the fighting, only to provide healings when necessary!"

"He will watch as you suffer, as his punishment for healing my enemies, and those of the Empire." He turns to the walls, where guards stand in pairs at regular intervals. "Take them to their room, and inform the Inquisitor he shall have a guest soon enough."

I struggle as the guards lift me to my feet and drag me out of the hall, seeing Ricken put up a much smaller fight than me. "No! You can't do this!"

"I can and I will, for the benefit of the Empire!" Walhart roars back at me.

My eyes take in everything at once, darting around and seeing an old depiction of Naga fighting Grima in ancient times. "The Grimleal will end you! The followers of Naga will restore the land! Do what you will, but you cannot fight this! You will lose, and Grima and I will dance on your grave!"

"Silence her!" he roars to the guards, who stuff a rag into my mouth, ending my curses.

"Sophia!" Ricken yells, straining towards me as the guards drag me in a different direction from him. "Where are you taking her?!"

"Don't worry, boy. We'll take _very_ good care of her." I struggle even more against their grip on my arms, fearful of my fate. I've only heard of what the Inquisitor does, and nobody has ever survived fully intact, both mentally and physically.

"MMMHHPPHH! MM-NGH!" I try shouting through the gag, but I can't get even a word around it. The guards, getting frustrated with my struggles, squeeze the pressure point on my neck, sending me into a daze as they now drag me along much more easily.

 _Grima, what do I do? I can't do this, I won't survive it!_ I cry out to the dragon within.

A warmth fills my mind as he tries to calm me. _I will ensure you do, though I will have to control your mind and body to ensure you make it through this._

 _But what about you? I know you love destruction and pain, but a human body can still only take so much._ I whisper to him as the lighting from windows turns to torchlight, and the air gets more moist and stony.

I can almost feel him shaking his head. _I can handle it, but you can't. This may be your only chance to come out mentally intact, before they begin._

 _But what about Ricken? I need to be there with him in mind._

He sighs. _If that is what you want, I can try talking to you throughout whatever happens, and keep you thinking straight._

I mentally sigh and groan at the same time. _Thank you, Grima._

Chrom POV

I hold back Robin, who is trying to attack Tharja physically, even though I want to do the same to the Dark Mage myself. "How could you turn on her?! You bitch, do you have any idea of what you've done?! Do you?! This could ruin everything, and gods know what they'll do to those two!"

The woman has enough shame to stare at the ground, even trembles in fear. "I saw her as a threat, and aimed to take her down. I had no idea who that person was until you explained it to me."

"Get out of here, and stay out of my sight, Tharja." I growl at her, struggling to hold my wife back.

She runs out of the tent faster than I bother to care as I pull Robin into my chest, where she breaks down in tears once more. "I can't lose her again! She promised she would never do this again!"

"But this time we know exactly how to save her. Walhart won't dare to kill her, lest he bring about the wrath of the Grimleal." I squeeze her shoulders tightly as she sobs. "Ricken will be there, he knows how to take care of her. Sophia is a strong girl, I know she'll make it through."

"But what about Grima? We know he's awake inside her mind, and they talk regularly now, rather than ignoring one another." She tries to breathe deeply and wipe away her tears. "What if this pushes her to allowing him total control?"

"She is strong, she wouldn't fall to him no matter what. She knows what could happen if she did." I kiss the top of her head as I can't help but feel the same worry send a chill of fear down my spine.

Ricken POV

The guards left me in a fairly nice room, one that must have been reserved for foreign dignitaries and the reigning family before Walhart gained control. I pull the chair from the desk to search through the various draws, finding nothing of use there, nor even in the wardrobe but for a change of clothes for both me and Sophia.

With nothing better to do, I pull off my hat and boots, setting them by the bed before I go to sit in the window seat, playing with the end of the curtain. I stare at the landscape, beautiful under the stains of war, I'm sure. I remain where I am for hours, not really focusing on anything around me until the door slams open, and a bloody pile of flesh is thrown on the floor, no clothes anywhere to be seen but for fibers stuck to the drying blood.

I run over at the sound of whimpering, and lightly touch their shoulder, gaining a huge flinch and a sob of pain. I realize this is Sophia, looking more closely at her face. "By the gods, what have they done?" I whisper in horror.

Her eyes remain clenched shut as she tries to work through the pain, and I look for a towel in what I discover to be a washroom, and find a pile of clean, undyed towels. I grab one and rush over to Sophia, still lying in her prone position on the floor. I drape a towel over her and pick her up, uncaring for the blood staining my robes. I place her gently into the tub, and run to the faucet and bucket, finding there to be heated water available without use of a fire tome. I fill the bucket several times, trickling the water over her several times to clean off the blood so I can see her wounds fully, without stoppering the tub.

Deep stab wounds cover her legs and arms, thin lines not too deep stripe her stomach and shoulders, and whip lashes mar her back worse than any battlefield wound would. Her face is swelling with bruises from what must have been only a warm up beating, nose broken and both lips split, and even her neck is covered in various handprint shaped bruises, as well as the rest of her body.

She cries silently as I wash the blood away with warm water, before I slowly pour the water over her scalp, rinsing the blood from her hair to get the crimson out, turning it a very faint pink without the aid of soap to remove the blood completely. "R-Ric-cken?" she whispers after a while.

"Shh, don't try to talk, you're pretty beat up. I'll take care of you, I promise." I whisper back to her, pulling off my bloody robes and throwing them with the bloody towel I used earlier. I walk into the main room and pull on the plain breeches and shirt, then lay the plain, gray dress for her on the bed, before going back to the washroom. I put another towel around her and lift her from the tub, carrying her to the bed, where I lay her down on top of the towel and pull some bandages from the bedside table. "How could any human being do this to anyone else?" I murmur to myself as I wrap the bandages around her torso, being careful not to touch her and embarrass her any more than her lack of clothing already must be doing.

Okay, I'm done with that section. Up next will be Tiki at last, I am not skipping this. And if you want to know what happens to Sophia when she is with the inquisitor, then I'll consider writing a chapter where he gets killed while doing his job. Other than that, I think I'm done for this one.

I do not own Fire Emblem Awakening.


	23. Chapter 23

Ricken POV

I pull the light blankets over Sophia, knowing the heavier blankets will hurt her too much with her extensive wounds. I then lay down in the bed next to her, making sure not to touch her or jostle her too much. I stare at her eyes, still leaking tears through swollen eye lids, as she stares back at me.

"Sophia…" I slowly brush aside some damp hair away from her face, feeling like the worst person in the world for not being able to heal her again. "I wish there was something I could do for you."

The sliver of her eyes I can see vanish as she closes her eyes, giving out a ragged sigh. "I'm cold."

I slide closer to her, and slowly drape an arm over her waist, pulling her into my chest to share some warmth. "I'm scared that touching you will hurt you."

She slowly shakes her head. "I'll be okay, Ricken. At least they didn't do anything worse, and they won't take me back for another two weeks."

I close my eyes and sigh sadly. "We might still be here in two weeks, heck even months, and they're giving you a false hope already."

"It's all that I can think of to get through it, besides Grima talking me through it with his history and all that." She lets out a low laugh. "When we get out of here, I'll write a book about it."

"A bestseller among the Grimleal, I'm sure of it already." I shake my head, running my fingers through her hair.

"Among historians too. The human side of the story has been warped and twisted by the ages, but nobody could ever figure out the side of the Dragon. There was so much more that happened that people today have no idea of." She opens her eyes and presses her head into my hand. "You know, I never realized how good it felt to have someone else brush my hair."

I chuckle as I pull her closer. "Well, someone's gotta have that privilege. And I think I deserve it."

Robin POV

We finally reach the top of the Mila Tree after a full day-long climb, in which I could not shake the feeling that something was very wrong with Sophia. At one point, Chrom had forcibly carried me for a few minutes so I would be able to refocus myself on the task at hand, rather than worrying about my baby cousin.

"Lady Tiki! Prithee, answer!" Say'ri yells into the shrine, as we see nobody up here.

A delicate yawn comes to my perceptive ears, and a woman with greenish hair, much like Nowi's, and pointed ears comes out from a curtained area behind an altar. "Hello, guests. I thank you for freeing me from the captivity of Emperor Walhart."

"Milady, 'twas no simple feat, and we have lost two of our own to the empire's tactician. We need the hope that you can provide us and the continent with." Frederick states, formally as ever.

Tiki nods wearily, yawning again. "Forgive my manners, but I have just awoken from my nap. But as soon as I am feeling a bit more awake, I shall carry out whatever it is that you would ask."

I step forward. "Milady, all that we ask is that you go to Naga's temples around the continent and ask that the people stop fighting under Walhart's banner. We need to rally around a common cause, and to end Walhart's bloody reign together, not separately. The rebel forces need something to join around, and I feel that you are our greatest hope for this war to turn its tides in our favor."

She looks at me with a small frown. "Of course, I will prepare myself for the journey. But would you be willing to answer me a question?"

I nod to her. "Of course, Lady Tiki."

"Are you not of Fell Blood? Where is your brand? I can feel Grima's aura lingering around you."

I nod hesitantly. "My father, Validar, is the head of the Grimleal cult, and I was the avatar of Grima for a time, before my cousin became the current one." I bite my lip, then decide to ask her a question myself. "Can you sense Grima at all, or communicate with him in any way?"

She nods slowly. "I was just in contact with him, actually. He said that when the Shepherds arrived, I was to say that you can no longer fight fairly. The danger is too great for honorable warfare, and dishonorable means would be the only way to save Sophia, both in mind and body."

"What does that mean?" Chrom asks, resting a hand on my shoulder.

"It means that they are torturing her, and Ricken has to pick up the pieces every time she comes back." Lucina whispers, wrapping an arm around herself. "Oh gods, I thought this would never happen."

Morgan comes running over to us. "Luci, what's going on? Where's Mama and Daddy?"

I pull her into a hug. "They won't be around for a while."

"But they'll come back, right? They promised."

"Yes, Morgan, they will come back. But… I have a feeling things won't be the same as before when they do. You have to be there to help them whenever they need you, okay?" Chrom asks, knowing this is a delicate topic.

"Yes sir!"

Tiki looks at Lucina with curiosity. "Um, milady, why do you stare at me so?" she asks, uneasy after a moment.

The Voice shakes her head. "Forgive me, it's just that you remind me of King Marth, when he was a young man himself. We fought against Grima together so long ago, and I couldn't help but notice the similarities."

"I did go by the name of Marth for a time, but I go by Lucina now." She answers, looking proudly back at us.

Morgan looks up at Tiki for a moment, then smiles. "I remember you! Mama brought me here one time for a blessing when I turned eight!" She then bows slightly to the Voice.

"I am glad that the daughter of such a good person remembers me." She then looks back to Chrom. "Milord, I would ask that your force rests up here for the night, then we shall venture down tomorrow before dawn.

He nods with respect. "Of course, and thank you for allowing us to stay the night up here." He signals to the Shepherds to begin setting up camp as we walk back to them. "Robin, I think we should go to bed a bit early, what with all that has been happening these past several days."

I nod in agreement. "I would very much like to follow along with this plan. I'll get a fire going."

Sophia POV

I wake up dizzy and in absolute pain, but I can see a little bit better, and I can feel that the swelling of my face has gone down tremendously. I look to my left to find Ricken fast asleep still, sunlight beginning to creep into the room. I feel a slight pressure over my hips, looking down to find Ricken's arm holding me lightly to him and keeping me warm. I press myself closer and tuck my head under his chin, wrapping one heavily bandaged arm over his side.

"Good morning, Soph." he mumbles, his chest vibrating slightly with his deep tone.

I smile carefully, not wanting to split my lips again. "Good morning, Ricken." I crane my neck backwards to look into his eyes. "It's been a long time since you last called me that."

"Do you not like it when I call you that?"

I stretch up a little bit to press a quick kiss to his lips. "I do like it, I was just commenting on it." I wince as I try to stretch a little bit, the wounds pulling painfully all over my body, even though they are much farther along in the healing process due to Grima's powers.

Ricken immediately stops me from moving any further. "Don't hurt yourself any more, okay? I don't like seeing you in pain."

I nod and settle back down as he climbs out of bed, carefully scooting into the warm spot he left behind. "I look like a wreck, don't I?" I mumble to myself, which I can tell Ricken doesn't hear over the knocking on the door.

A young maid, maybe around my age, stands in the doorway, holding a tray laden with food, drinks, and a bottle of vulnerary. "My Lord ordered me to bring the Vulnerary to treat the lady's wounds along with your breakfast, sir."

He takes the tray with a stony face. "Thank you, miss." He closes the door and carries the tray over to the bed, setting it down on the bedside table and grabbing the potion. "Sophia, can you turn this way or sit up?"

I nod slowly and roll slowly onto my back, then wiggle my way up to sitting slumped against the headboard. I then find him holding the bottle to my lips, and take a sip, feeling the healing effects immediately as my deeper wounds seal and the shallow ones vanish altogether. "I don't know if he wants me to have a decent stay and pay in blood or if this is a new torture technique."

He takes away the bottle, putting the stopper back in as he places the tray between us on the bed. "Well, at least he's feeding us a decent meal." He offers me one of the forks, and we begin eating the steaming food, though it is quite plain compared even to what the Shepherds eat in camp.

I try to eat slowly, but the warmth of the food entices me to eat faster than I should, and I note Ricken has the same problem. I start sweating and breathing heavily, trying to stay conscious as a wave of heat comes over me, and Ricken starts, seeing me having problems.

Suddenly, I'm inside my mind, watching Grima fight off the effects of whatever I had been administered from within, taking it on for me and mind working in overdrive to get it through my system. He's talking, but I can't understand anything more than a faint mumble, as though my ears have been stuffed with cotton and filled with water. I feel a dampness under my feet, and find a puddle of water growing around my feet, rising in pillars around us and sealing us together inside a cage of water, before solidifying into ice. I begin walking over to Grima, but every step I take, he seems to be drawn further back, the distance between us growing with every step I take.

Naga appears in front of me, a kind smile on her lips. _"Sophia, this is not where you should be."_ She turns around to face the Fell Dragon wearing my skin, even within my mind. _"Grima, do you now understand why I fight to protect the humans the way I do? I allow them to destroy as they please, for it brings safety to others, for the ones they need to pull them back together. I allowed you to roam the world once before because I acknowledged that you represented their destructive nature, but you sought to destroy all."_

" _I do now, Naga. I fight now to protect one of my own descendants from destruction in this war, and I will put things right. I would rather sleep for all eternity than destroy what I have been shown."_ He turns to me, warmth flickering in his red eyes. _"It's time for you to wake up, Sophia. You have something to take care of."_

I open my eyes to find Ricken leaning over me, a wet rag in his hand as he wipes off my face. "Sophia? Are you alright?"

I nod and groan in pain as I sit upright, feeling a warm presence in the back of my mind, a kinder one than Grima. "I'm fine." I start to fall back as my arms buckle under me, but he catches me, pulling me close. "Ricken…"

"Sophia, you're not fine! You can hardly sit up, and you passed out just a while ago. You have to stop this, I don't know if I can take any more of this!" he starts ranting, when I decide to grab the back of his neck and raise myself to his lips, silencing him immediately as he pulls me higher, making it easier on me to hold him.

My eyes flutter shut as I hold back tears, trying to be strong, until he pulls away from our kiss. "Ricken, I love you. I would never willingly leave you, unless you wanted me to. I will always find a way back, sooner or later, no matter what it takes."

He falls forward, pushing me to my back on the bed and hovering over me. "I love you, Sophia. I'm just… I feel so helpless now. You're in pain, and suffering so much, and we're stuck here for a long time."

I sigh as I close my eyes, grabbing one of his wrists. "We are stuck here, but believe me, there could be worse place to be stuck, and other people to be stuck with."

He lowers his head to press his lips to mine once again, and I can't help but to run my fingers through his hair, lightly scraping my nails against his scalp. He slowly eases one arm under my back, raising me up to him suddenly. "I know, and I'm somewhat grateful Walhart brought me here, if only so I could look after you."

Okay, if you want to know where this leads, then go read an M rated story, and you'll understand. And because of everything, there will not be any teen moms in this story. I may be implying that they are doing it, but really, since Grima is partially in control of her, she won't be having her Morgan for a long time.

I do not own Fire Emblem Awakening.


	24. Chapter 24

Ricken POV

I pull Sophia closer under the blankets, fearing what will happen to her tomorrow, and just how much more damaged she will be when she returns. Even though I've managed to help her get through everything in the past two weeks, and she's almost fully recovered, she's still damaged. I've prayed to Naga more times than I can count, and given her enough distractions at night to keep her dreams at bay.

She moans and turns over in my arms, and I shush her, pressing a kiss to her bare shoulder, feeling her shiver against me as I trail my fingers along her spine. She sighs and burrows into my arms, curling up slightly as she returns to her slumber. I run my fingers through her hair, pressing a small kiss into her hair before I fall asleep, content to hold her like this as long as I can.

Sophia POV

I open my eyes slowly, surprised that Ricken isn't holding me again, when I realize what is going to happen soon. I close my eyes and suppress a shiver as I sit upright, finding the door to the washroom open only by a crack for a moment until Ricken steps out, running a towel through his hair, and wearing his –now clean- robes. I hold the blanket over my bare chest, blushing lightly as I curl my legs up slightly.

He grins and jumps onto the bed, making me bounce a bit as he lands right next to me. "Morning, gorgeous."

I giggle at his cliché greeting. "Morning, handsome." I return, playing along with him.

"How did you sleep?" he asks, the smile dimming slightly.

I drape myself over him, keeping the blanket between us. "Better than I have for a long time."

His arms snake around my waist, coming to rest at the small of my back. "Good, I know you've been having a rough time sleeping lately."

With a sigh, I rest my head on his chest, toned and solid, yet comforting all the same to me. "I… I'm glad for this sense of normalcy. I think this will help me work through… it, today."

His hands clench, and he holds his breath for a moment, before letting the tension dissolve, probably understanding that his reaction will do me no good. "You should probably go wash up a bit, after last night."

My face heats up tremendously in a deep blush, my heart rate picking up as Grima makes a teasing sound in the back of my mind. "Y-yeah, maybe I should…" I push myself up and Ricken lets me go to the washroom, where he's already set out a towel for me.

An hour after dawn, the guards come for me, this time with shackles in hand and Walhart supervising them. "Sophia, I hope you've enjoyed your stay so far, but I'm afraid I have some more business with you."

I shiver lightly as I stand up from my seat at the desk, setting aside the book that had shown up last week. "I know." I look over to Ricken with sadness in my heart, before walking to the doorway, letting the guards put the shackles on me.

"Good you accept it now, girl, or I would have to do something about lover boy in there." I keep my gaze on the floor so he can't see the fear in my eyes, only the resignation to what's in store for me today.

"Emperor Walhart, I know I have no right to ask anything of you, but would you allow me one request?"

He turns to me in a clank of his armor. "It depends solely on the request."

I take a deep breath before meeting his eyes. "I will take any punishment for whatever the Shepherds may do should they fail in their endeavor, so long as Chrom and Robin make it home for their daughter. I made a promise she would know her parents, and all I ask is that they have the chance to see her grow up."

"You carry Grima within you, how do I know he isn't in control of you now?" he growls.

"He would not ask this, but Naga would, and yet neither of them have anything to do with my request, your Majesty." I look to the ground, taking in shaky breaths. "Please, this is all I would ask."

A red-armored hand lift my chin, and forces me to meet his eyes once more. Without a change in expression, the hand moves to my neck, gripping me lightly enough not to bruise. "You ask that I release the ones who have invaded my country?" he whispers.

"I ask that you send two parents home to a little girl who has nobody else in her world. I will take any punishment you deem fit, so long as they make it back." I whisper.

He removes his hand from my neck, and turns around, the guards taking their place behind me as he walks in front of me to the dungeons, back to the torture chamber. Instead of the table I had been strapped to last time, there's a hook attached to the ceiling by a strong chain, and implements cleaned of all blood hang on the walls.

As the guards raise my arms to loop the shackles over the hook, Wahart speaks again. "Is there anything different about this room that stands out to you?"

I look around, nodding as I try to keep my breathing even. "Yes, the hook, instead of the table." I then realize that he stays in here as the guards walk out, then locks the door. "Why did you lock it?" I ask with a tremble in my voice.

He glares at me, nothing but seriousness in his eyes. "I have a special treatment in mind for you today." He then walks to the wall of implements behind me, picking up something that rattles as it drags on the floor. "Last time, you began to heal while the Inquisitor had you in his hands. His toys are now broken, and it's my turn now." I hear a whistle, then a snap, screaming as several tiny blades pierce my back, dragging down and shredding my back. "Now, we see just how much the human body can take before it's owner will break."

A clank of armor falling to the floor registers in my pain hazed mind, as the already bloody dress is torn away. "P-please… not… that…"

A knife stabs into my side, ripped out as I scream with the sudden spurt of blood that jumps out to stain Walhart's black tunic and sprays over his face in fine droplets. "I may be a monster, but I do not attack a woman in such a dishonorable manner." His still-armored fists meet my face and stomach over and over, drawing blood and screams of agony from my body.

 _Sophia!_ Grima shouts from his end of the hall in my mind. _Just talk through it, Naga will send help soon. Tiki is with the Shepherds fully awakened now. Just hold on, keep talking to me!_

 _Grima, I'm scared! I don't want him to do this!_ I scream in my mind, my body limp but writhing slightly in pain as Walhart moves on to using a knife to carve into my flesh. _It hurts! Make it stop!_

Robin POV

Pain washes through me, in both mind and body, as I lie in the cot I share with Chrom, who is in a chair holding my hand. "Lissa, get the damn potion!" he yells, fear in his eyes.

"Chrom…" I groan, ripping my hand from his and covering my ears. "It hurts…"

He takes to massaging my temples as I clench my eyes shut in pain. "I know, Robin. We'll get you fixed up soon."

A vision forms in my eyes, fuzzy and blurred, but covered in red splotches. I open my eyes, and the vision clarifies, showing me a dark place, ice forming many pillars and the floor, but covered in crimson. The smell of blood fills my nose, and makes me feel ill. A scream of pain echoes around my head, and the vision changes, to a version of Sophia, but with glowing red eyes, roaring in frustration and pain, trying to hold together this world of ice.

 _-Robin, please! It hurts! Make it stop!_ Her voice echoes around me, a clarified version of the screaming.

 _Sophia! You'll be okay, I'm here!_ Grima shouts, a pain of his own in his voice. _Just keep talking to me!_

 _I want Robin back! Grima-_

"Robin! Look at me, you gotta breathe!" Chrom's voice echoes, drowning out what else she says. I take a deep breath, and the setting vanishes, returning me to our tent, Libra and Lissa standing over me, Chrom holding my face, tears in his eyes.

"Chrom?" I ask, half awake, still smelling the blood of that horrible place. "What… happened?"

He sighs and rests his head on my shoulder. "You stopped breathing. Gods, I thought I'd lost you!"

I freeze up, suddenly realizing what I saw. "Gods, she's being tortured Chrom! I was sent into her mind, and I saw Grima trying and almost failing to hold her mind together! I swear it, someone or something just called my mind to join with hers again!"

He looks into my eyes with horror. "Gods, if it's Walhart or the Inquisitor, she won't last long." He turns to Lissa. "Find Frederick and Virion, and bring them here, now." She runs out of the tent at full speed, yelling for the Great Knight, as Chrom turns to Libra. "Can you bring Tiki, Yen'fay, and Say'ri here?" The holy man nods and runs out after Lissa. Chrom then turns to me, putting his hands on my cheeks. "You need to stay awake, and tell us everything you saw once they get here."

Lucina walks into the tent, a delicate frown on her face. "Mother? Father? What's going on?"

Chrom sighs and smooths down the hair spread across the pillow. "I'm not sure, but it can't be anything good.

Six Months Later

Sophia POV

The horrid smelling salts are forced under my nose, bringing me back from my daze with a jolt. I moan and turn my head away, coughing slightly. A bare arm wraps around my body, and lifts me enough to free my shackles from the hook, lowering me to the cold, stone floor. The masked face of the Inquisitor, wearing nothing but his smallclothes once again, and looking more predatorial than ever.

"If it weren't for his Majesty's orders, I would do so much more to you, you little bitch." He kicks me in the stomach, making me wheeze for breath. "And you know exactly what I would do." He raises me by the neck and throws me against the wall, then goes to his table of 'toys,' going for a rod with shredded metal attached like a saw. "I wonder how you will react to my favorite trick."

I try to get up, but he pins me to the floor and runs the jagged metal down my body, leaving it over my stomach and legs. He pulls my legs apart and puts the rod between my thighs, then forces them closed on the jagged metal. I scream in agony as the metal bites deep into the delicate tissue, before he twists it, shredding the muscle and spraying blood everywhere. I try to breathe as shock takes its hold on me, sealing my airway and blocking out everything but the pain and the blood. I hear nothing at all as he tries using the salts on me again, but it doesn't work.

I can only get breath into my body in stuttering gasps, twitching as my eyes flutter and roll around in the sockets. _Dammit girl, focus! Don't you dare die now!_ Grima shouts at the top of his lungs, the bloody ice around us beginning to crack and melt.

Tears fill my eyes as the real world slowly fills with black spots. _Grima, I can't… hold on anymore… please, help me…_

 _I won't let it end like this!_ Naga's voice echoes through my mind, and my awareness of reality begins to clear in flashes of light. _Sophia, you have to fight this! Fight for them, for Robin, for Ricken!_

My eyes open to reality, a dark night sky with stars twinkling overhead, and cold air blanketing me. I shiver helplessly and roll over with a shriek of pain, putting my hand out and finding it in the face of a dead man. I look up to find the fully clothed corpse of the Inquisitor, horror etched into his features as well as a strange understanding. Shivering again, I shift around the body, pulling off his tunic and breeches, seeing as he no longer needs them. I pull them on, and immediately feel warmer, and realize the body hasn't been dead for very long.

"Ricken…" I mutter, looking around at the distant sound of combat, the telltale sound of thunder echoing from the other side of the walls. My arms threaten to fold under me, knees threatening to buckle, but I refuse to be weak like this anymore. Screaming in pain, I raise myself to my feet, hands going straight to my inner thighs as the wounds pull under the giant black clothing. "Gods… agh, please." I scrunch my eyes up as tears of pain fill my eyes again as I force my body to take slow steps in the direction of the battle.

"Nowi, down!" I hear Robin screech, just before a bolt of lightning splits the night.

"Lon'qu, get Say'ri to Maribelle! Stahl, you get there too!" Chrom shouts. "Lucina, back up your mother!"

The Shepherds fight on as I enter the scene of the fight from the side, facing General Cervantes alone. "Little worm! You were dead!" he shouts, aiming his spear at me. "How is this possible?! The Emperor has lied to us all!" I fall against a wall with a gasp, injuries reopening as he aims his spear at my heart. "Any last words, demon?" he asks, fury blazing in his eyes.

Before I can answer, a familiar voice shouts, "Pick a god and pray!" Frederick's silver lance pierces through the tough armor of his back and exits through the front. The General coughs once, blood dribbling over his chin, before he collapses to the ground, dead. "Sophia?" Frederick gasps, to which I groan in pain, curling in on myself. He kneels next to me, pulling out a Vulnerary and forcing it to my lips. "Drink it, you need it." he turns to someone else, on the field behind him. "Yen'fay, back me up!"

I take a large swallow before pushing it away, coughing as I swallow some air along with it, making it go down painfully. "R-Ricken… is still… inside…" I lean to the side, dizzy and exhausted. "Walhart… ordered… torture me… he's safe…"

He shushes me and picks me up, climbing back into the saddle. "Save your strength, you're going to need it." another voice, accented and deep, murmurs in time with the whistling of a blade whipping through the air.

I scream in pain as Frederick's hand squeezes my side, digging deeply into my side accidentally. "Stop, please!"

He loosens his grip and looks at his hands, eyes widening in shock at the blood slowly dripping onto his armor and saddle. "Gods, forgive me! Lissa and Maribelle, I need you over here! Now!" I close my eyes, trying to block out the pain and focus on breathing.

Hands take me by my feet, grabbing over some of the deepest wounds. I scream and struggle against them, tears leaking from my eyes as my throat burns. I barely register the shushing sounds, the fingers running through my hair, and the little droplets falling onto my face. The pain only increases as magic flows into my wounds, and I finally force them away, thrashing violently enough that the restraining hands release me.

Without hesitation, I run blindly in the direction of the palace, hearing shouts to stop and come back. I slam into a wall, clipping my shoulder, and push off again, screaming in agony as I continue into the palace. I run into the throne room and shiver at the sight of Exellus.

He laughs at the state I'm in. "Well, well, you did survive after all, little girl."

"Exellus, you bastard!" Energy wells in my hands, and warmth begins to flow from my mouth. Without a conscious thought, I transform into my manakete form, this time wounds revealing themselves exactly the same way as they are on my human form, but clearly still bleeding. I inhale deeply, and shout, "Time to die!" as I spew purple and black flames, engulfing him and absorbing half of his life energy, stopping the majority of the bleeding of my wounds.

Without changing back, I fly out into the hallway, following the scent of the guards and blood, finding my way to the room I shared with Ricken. I find the door shut and locked, trying the handle with one reptilian claw. I bang on the door as I lose my strength, beginning to cough blood from the exertion of racing away from the healers.

The door is torn open violently as I collapse back into my human form. "Sophia?" Ricken's voice asks, broken and disbelieving.

A decent length chapter, but here's a little something to keep you busy for the time being. I decided not to be cruel like the game with all the betrayals and whatnot, and I've really like the stories with Yen'fay that I've seen so far, so I decided to have him go back to being a good guy. Not to mention he'll be essential to getting the Shepherds to the two lovebirds.

Anyway, thanks for continuing to read this story, but know that wherever you think this will end, I got news for you: this ain't called Family for what you've read so far. The only spoiler for the very distant ending I'll be giving to everyone. If you can think of what that means, review or message me with an answer and I'll get back to you with it.

I do not own Fire Emblem Awakening.


	25. Chapter 25

Ricken POV

A harsh knocking at the door pulls me away from my pillow, stained by silent tears and mauled from my rage. I take a deep breath and walk slowly to the door, hearing a thump and something sliding down from the other side of the door. I pull it open quickly, looking down to find Sophia, bloody and filthy, naked once again, hair letting off a bit of smoke.

"Sophia?" I whisper, unable to think this could be real. I stare into her hazy eyes as she begins tilting down towards the floor, dropping just in time to catch her head before it hits the hard floor. I pull her close and inhale, smelling the bitter scent of blood, and her own breezy scent that never seems to go away. I let out a shuddering breath as I pick her up and carry her into the room, leaving the door wide open as I rush her to the bed.

"Ri-Rick-en…" she stutters, burying her face into my collarbone, shivering horribly.

"Hush, you're gonna be alright." I whisper, pulling back the blankets and placing her gently in the warm bed, pulling the blankets up to her chin. I grab the Vulnerary, still with enough of the potion for two healings, and pull out the cork, turning back to find her staring at me, tears falling freely from her eyes to stain her skin. I brush the tears away as I lift the bottle to her lips. "Just relax, okay? You're gonna be alright, they're coming for us."

She nods slowly, and her trembling begins to subside. I move the bottle to her lips, and let a small trickle of the potion fall into her mouth, making sure to give her a full dose before putting it away and taking off my outer robe, reaching under the blankets to wrap her into it so she will be decent when the Shepherds get up here. "I-I…"

I put my finger to her lips, silencing her. "Don't talk, you need to rest." I rub my thumb along the skin of her cheek, pale and even grayish from blood loss and exhaustion. My vision blurs as I give her a weak smile, which she returns as she rapidly falls into the realms of dreams. Shamelessly, I allow the tears to fall into my lap, so glad she returned from the dead once more, relieved she went against all odds to return to me like she promised. Slowly, I ease myself to sitting against the headboard next to her, keeping my hand in contact with her as I move, and slowly, my eyes begin to droop shut.

Robin POV

"Robin, come on! We need to finish Walhart now!" Chrom shouts over the roar of battle as Yen'fay's soldiers clash with Walhart's. "The sooner we get to him, the sooner we can search for them!"

"Right!" I take his offered hand and we charge ahead, Lucina and Yen'fay behind us. We follow the Conqueror into an extravagant throne room, where he sits atop his horse in armor matching his own.

"Walhart, your reign is over!" Chrom shouts, raising his blade in defiance of the proud emperor's condescending glare.

"Hmph, a noble sentiment shared by that rascal Plegian. It is such a shame that she died though, it turned out she was weaker than I thought." He actually seems to have regret, for once.

"Fie, she lives now." Yen'fay shouts, breaking my sudden shock. "I have seen her with my own eyes this night."

"What did you do to her?!" I yell, charging up a Mjolnir behind my back, where he can't see the electrical cloud building up.

He turns his icy, empty glare onto me. "I gave her the punishment she deserved, and she was to receive more, until you arrived." He raises his lance. "It matters not whether she lives anymore, what matters is whether you fall like that foolish Khan before you or bow down to me!"

He charges at Lucina, who is pulled aside by Yen'fay at the last moment to avoid the lethal strike. I scream in fury, "Checkmate!" and unleash the lightning upon him. The metal conducts the electricity just as I had planned, frying him and dealing so much damage that he and his horse collapse, though he continues to breathe, even though the breaths are ragged and gurgling.

"Well fought… pup, but you are… just the same… as me… bringing peace through… war…"

Chrom steps up to the fallen Emperor, Falchion in hand and raised to end the Conqueror's life. "Where is Ricken?"

"Yen'fay ought to know… where my final guests were housed…" With that small riddle, Chrom drives Falchion into the weakest point of Walhart's armor, ending his life.

Yen'fay and Lucina turn to us, the former gesturing to the entrance to the hall. "There are two places for us to search: the guest wing and the dungeons. It is likely they were held in the guest wing, as he liked to make any guest comfortable, and the young lady said Ricken was safe. It will take a while to search every room though, as the guest area of the palace is quite extensive."

I turn to Chrom. "We can ask Panne if she could pick up a scent of either of them, and that would save us some time." I suggest as we begin walking to the entry way of the room.

Chrom looks down and stares at something. I then look down and gasp at the droplets of blood, starting in the center of the room and leading out. "I don't think we'll be needing any help tracking." Lucina whispers, to which we all nod.

Yen'fay takes the lead, as he must surely know the way around the palace the best out of all of us. "We must be alert in case there are any guards, although they are most likely all on the battlefield at the moment."

The blood trail leads us through three flights of stairs, down several twisting halls, and past a room filled with giant tubs of water, one boiling hot and the other cold and heavily scented with blood, the stench lingering with us as we leave the room and turn the corner with the trail. It leads us to a human shaped puddle of blood in front of an open door, the room itself dark with only a flickering candle within, sputtering in the last moments of worth. The door is stained with hand prints of blood, both reptilian and human, and the trail goes inside, vanishing into the dark. Lucina picks up a torch from one of the sconces in the wall and enters the room first, sword drawn as she leads us in. The moment I look out the window, I can see the battle is won, now that Walhart is dead and his soldiers are free. I turn to look at a mass in the center of the room, finding first the outline of a bed with white sheets, then a figure under the sheets and one on top of the sheets in a sitting position, eyes reflecting the torchlight and showing relief.

"Captain?" Ricken's voice whispers cautiously.

"Ricken?" Chrom asks, sheathing his sword and approaching the bed slowly. Lucina goes to what must be the hearth and lights up the logs, casting a gentle glow over the room as we stare at Ricken, whose hands are stained red with blood, as well as the sheets and his clothes. "Gods, are you hurt?" Chrom asks, voice rising.

"Quiet, she's asleep." Ricken turns to his left, where he runs his hand down a bloody face etched with pain and fear. "I'm not hurt, but she's in really bad shape. Walhart… he ordered her to be tortured once every two weeks, and made her suffer one night with her injuries before he would send a Vulnerary to heal her." A tear falls down his cheek as he stares at Sophia, running his fingers through her hair. "She's been so scared, I have no idea how she's survived so long."

I bite my lip as tears fill my eyes, and step over to him, wrapping him in a hug. "Thank you for being there for her when I couldn't Ricken." I sob into his shoulder. "I'm so sorry I wasn't able to help her."

He returns the hug, then we both pull back as Sophia lets out a pained whimper, flinching in her sleep. After a few more flinches, her eyes shoot open in a panic, and she lets out a small shriek, to which Ricken pulls her up and into his lap, revealing her to be wearing his outer robes, which I now realize he wasn't wearing, instead he wears a plain white shirt and brown breeches. She clutches at his shirt and cries in hysteria, making Lucina look away with eyes clenched, holding back tears.

I realize Sophia is trying to say something, and pay closer attention. "I-I… wa-wan-nt… R-Rob-bin…" I hear between her sobs.

I sit on the other side of the bed, and whisper, "I'm here, Sophia, I'm right here."

She immediately looks up from Ricken's shoulder, and I gasp at her appearance. The light masks the worst of her injuries, but there is no mistaking the swelling of her face and eyes that is not the result of her tears, dark bruises littering her face and neck in both random spots and in handprints, and various cuts and signs of her nose having been recently broken. A thin trail of dried blood falls in tear lines down her cheeks, and a cut in her scalp leaves a thicker trail down the side of her face. But her eyes are the most heartbreaking- filled with nothing but fear and pain, bloodshot with exhaustion.

"You poor thing…" I open my arms, and she falls into me, sobbing once more. I run my fingers delicately through her hair, blood staining my fingers and getting under my nails as flakes of dried blood fall from her scalp under my gentle treatment. "I'm here honey, I'm here for you. I'm not going anywhere."

She cries herself out on my shoulder as her wounds seal up under the influence of the Vulnerary Ricken had mentioned, falling asleep in my arms. Yen'fay offers me a warm, wet cloth to wipe her face with, which I gracefully accept. "Had I known this occurred, I would have found a way to smuggle them both out."

I shake my head as I wipe away the blood. "There was no way you could have known, and we wouldn't have known to listen until the Demon's Ingle, when we saw Excellus speaking with you."

"Fie, I still ought to have tried to see what that foul creature had in mind. I shall never forgive myself for this atrocity."

Chrom rises and pulls Lucina into his arms, where she begins to calm down. "Yen'fay, you are the only one blaming yourself here. I will not hold anything against you, ever, but I acknowledge that this is something you must do for yourself."

The king of Chon'sin offers a small bow to the prince. "You have my gratitude for understanding this matter." He turns to us once more. "But for now, I do believe the much more pressing matter will be to get the young people here the help they will be needing after this ordeal."

Lucina gathers herself and pulls out of her father's arms. "How can we possibly do that? There's never been a true survivor of the Inquisitor or Walhart without permanent mental and physical damage."

He regards her with a stony look. "Peace and relaxation, as well as somebody to talk to, always helps the healing process. The few people that were released from a far lighter treatment of the emperor were always taken in by Chon'sin, where they left leagues better than they had arrived. I am positive that if both were to stay in my country for a time, they would have far less scars than if they did not."

Ricken sighs and looks into the hearth. "Anything, if it will help her."

Chrom looks between the two with a confused look, but seems to set the thought aside for the moment. "The offer is most generous of you, Yen'fay, but would it be too much trouble if we were all to take a rest in your kingdom for a rest before the journey home?"

"You have protected my sister and liberated this continent from a tyrant, the least I could do is offer you a place to rest for as long as you and your people need." He takes the bloody cloth from me and steps into what must be a washroom before returning with a few more wet cloths, offering one to Ricken, another to me, and using the last one to wipe off Sophia's hands. "I will arrange for a boat to bring us to Chon'sin as soon as possible."

Chrom POV

I find Ricken sneaking back towards Sophia's room when I cough, making him jump and look around in fright. I step out of the dark corner so he can see me properly, and he visibly relaxes. "Captain, why are you still up and about?"

"I could ask you the same thing." I give him a look, and he bows his head. "Why are you sneaking off to Sophia's room in the early morning? You ought to be in your own room."

"I-I… couldn't really sleep. We've been in the same room all this time, and I've gotten used to her always being right next to me." I notice a faint blush staining his face, and realize my guess from earlier may not have been far off the mark.

"You've become protective of her, she is fully relaxed around you, and she was wearing your robes when we found you. I have the impression that something else has been going on between the two of you." His face burns even more, and he starts fidgeting. "Is this true?"

He looks up at me in fear. "Yes, I'll admit to it right now, but I had no intention of it happening like that, or for a long time! I didn't do anything that she didn't let me, and I would never hurt her, I swear on my life!"

I sigh and rub my temple. "Ricken, you're going to have to tell Robin in the morning, I hope you realize that?"

He pales so suddenly it would be funny if the situation wasn't so extreme. "I know, and I'm afraid of what she'll do to me, not to mention what the other ladies in the Shepherds will do when they find out." He whispers, true fear reentering his tone.

I pat his shoulder and give it a gentle squeeze. "This is not to reach the ears of any other Shepherds. I will try to keep this in the family as much as possible, but just be prepared for the consequences." I glance around the hall, then whisper in his ear, "I don't mind that it's you with her, and neither does Robin, it's just that we worry you two are going to rush things." I then pull back from him. "Is there anything else that I should be aware of?"

A whimper echoes from her room, and his head swivels in her direction almost out of reflex. "She has nightmares about it if I'm not there. That's the other half of the reason I tried sneaking out."

I walk with him to her room and let him in. We find her with tears on her cheeks, teeth clenched, and limbs flailing under the sheets. He goes to her and puts his hand to her forehead, immediately calming her and waking her up. "Ricken…?" she asks, voice lost and shaking.

He shushes her and presses a kiss to her forehead. "It's alright, I'm right here." She nods slightly, then grabs his arm as a stuffed animal and falls back asleep. Ricken turns back to me. "It's the only way she can sleep through the night nowadays."

I nod in understanding. "If it helps her, then so be it. I will let you be, though I expect you to play it off much better when the others ask you about it. Good night, Ricken."

Alright, I like how this one went, so I hope you guys do too. Let me know how I did on this, and I am fairly pleased at how this story is going along.

I do not own Fire Emblem Awakening


	26. Chapter 26

Robin POV

I stare down at Ricken and Sophia in their bed, an eyebrow raised at how she clings tightly to his arm in her sleep. They both seem tense, as though anticipating an attack in fear while they sleep. I reach down and shake Ricken's shoulder gently, trying to wake him up first.

"Come on Ricken, you need to get up," I murmur gently to him, not needing to get either of them worked up so early in the day. His eyes open in a snap, and his hand jumps up to grab my arm in an almost painful grip. "Hey, easy, it's just me."

His grip slackens and he drops his hand with a sigh. "Sorry, Robin."

I shake my head. "It's alright, you didn't even hurt me. I was more startled than anything, to be honest."

He looks away, slightly in shame, as he rises slowly, smoothing back Sophia's hair with a feather-light touch. "When are we going to leave?"

"This morning after breakfast. I'm amazed by the speed at which Yen'fay was able to get us the ships, but I'm not going to complain," I answer as I watch Sophia's eyes slowly open.

"Robin?" she whispers, careful with her speech unlike before.

I smile and nod. "Time to get up now. You need a bath, then some clean clothes before we even think of taking you to breakfast."

She nods blearily and tries to sit up, only to have her arms flop under her own weight. Ricken catches her as she buckles, and supports her back as she manages to get upright. "Whoa…" she murmurs, blinking like she's dizzy.

"What the hell happened? Did you eat anytime in the past few days?" I ask her, frowning as I rest my hand on her forehead, then move to check her pulse.

"I think it might… have something to do… with having died from bleeding out and… being revived by the… dragons last night," she informs us slowly, as though she has a speech impediment.

"Sophia, are you alright?" Ricken asks, just as worried about her as me.

She frowns and tries to move her leg, but when she does, the movement is slow and unsure. "I don't know," she mutters.

Ricken promptly picks her up and rises. "We can worry about it later, you need to wash up."

He carries her to the washroom and begins to fill a bucket before I can blink as she settles into the tub, the movements so steady and focused I could swear he's done this a million times. He only gets to grab the handle of the full bucket before I push him out of the room.

"As much as I trust you Ricken, I need to have a chat with Sophia. You wait out here and either change your clothes or wait for us to come out," I tell him as I shove him out of the room closing the door in his face. I turn to the tub and help Sophia out of Ricken's blood stained robe, the red now an ugly, stiff brown mess. I find her bare underneath but for a canvas of horrid, painful scars and still-open wounds, though thankfully none bleed anymore. My eyes fill with tears in pity as I gaze upon her body, beaten and broken.

"I'll be okay… Robin, I pro…promise," she mutters tiredly, eyes drooping as I dribble the hot water over her body, soothing her aches.

I grab a cloth and dunk it in the warm water remaining in the bucket, bringing it up to dab at her cheeks. "Why did I lead you down this road?" I whisper to her, feeling a tear streak down my cheek. "I have no idea how you survive all of this."

She leans against the side of the tub in front of me, leaning her head on my arm. "Not your… fault. It was Wal…hart and Excellus."

I wrap my arms around her gingerly, kissing her forehead as my tears slow down. "I can't believe that any human could willingly do this to another."

Lucina POV

Mother and Ricken help Sophia down to breakfast, and I see she has trouble standing on her own, though any possible injuries that would be the cause are hidden by the long gray dress she wears, cut just under her neck to go down to her palms and down to the floor. Her bare feet poke out as she takes each careful step, and she blinks every time she moves her foot.

I grab her a bowl of the hot porridge and one for myself as they help her into a seat by the window where she stares out without seeming to actually see what is out there, lost in her own world. I look over to Yen'fay and Say'ri, who stare at her with sadness emanating from them, though their faces remain still and impassive. I shake it off and bring the meal to her, and she doesn't even notice my presence until I'm sitting down next to her.

"Good morning… Lucina," she whispers slowly, pronouncing my name a syllable at a time.

"Good morning, Sophia. Are you hungry?" I ask her, receiving a very slow nod. I push the food and a spoon towards her, which she picks up easily and feeds herself, just as Robin and Ricken come back to sit across from us with their own meals in hand.

Mother, while eating her own food, keeps an eye on Sophia, while I keep my eye on Ricken. I notice the changes in both, where they both would have been fairly talkative for the majority of the meal, cracking jokes every now and then, to where they are completely silent as we eat, hardly taking their eyes off of their food unless it's to look at each other.

I sigh as I finish my food, and rise, taking care not to bump into Sophia. "I'm going to make sure everyone is set to head for Chon'sin, Mother. I'll be back shortly."

Alright, super short, I know, but I have been trying very hard to work on my other stories as well as a new one that I will be posting soon.

I do not own Fire Emblem Awakening


	27. Chapter 27

Sophia POV

I cling to Ricken as we walk out of the palace for the first time in a long time, scared of what will happen to us now.

He pats my hand gently. "Do not fear, Soph, the war is over."

I nod and turn my head into his arm, veiling myself with my hair. "I know… it's just… I never thought we… would make it this long."

He stops and wraps his arm around my shoulder, planting a kiss on my forehead, staying quiet. _I knew you could hold out Sophia,_ Grima murmurs in my mind.

 _I don't think I'm going to last though, Grima. Those who die and are revived always return to the grave. Sooner or later, I will return to my grave._

I can feel that he is shaking his head. _You are far too strong to do that. Besides, I do believe you never had a grave to begin with. Only a memorial and an empty tomb._

 _One fact that I shall one day remedy,_ I whisper in my mind to him. _I can't do this to them, Grima. How can I end this, end all of this suffering?_

He falls silent, and a warm presence fills my mind as Naga's voice echoes within me, _You can follow the same path Lucina took, and travel even farther into the past than even I dared to send her. Prevent the war that tore apart this continent, prevent the line of the Avatar from taking Grima's soul._

Grima makes a sound of agreement. _Even if it does mean my chance at being revived vanishes, I will contribute to this plan._

A hand on my shoulder pulls me from our conversation. "Sophia, are you alright?" Say'ri asks, frowning in concern.

I blink at her a couple of times before slowly shaking my head, realizing we are already on a boat, standing at the railing. "I can't… believe this is… happening. I'm… free."

She nods and rubs my back gently, soothing me and slowing my racing thoughts. "I don't expect you to quite believe it for a long time, if ever. None who walk out of there leave without eternal scars. Just know that we are here for you, milady."

I nod and try to smile at her, but I feel it to be more of a grimace. "Thank you, Say'ri. How long… until we get… to Chon'sin?"

She smiles, eyes lighting up as she looks to the south. "It ought to be no more than a few hours by sea, with the weather as good as it is. 'Tis a beautiful country, perfect for healing the soul."

I look out to sea, wishing that things would have been different. "Mama!" a young girl's voice shouts from the top deck of the ship, before running feet pound down the stairs to my spot on the deck.

I turn around to stare at Morgan, a giant smile on her face, pure in joy and innocent. "Morgan…" I whisper, opening my arms and allowing her to come forward.

Tears in her eyes, she steps into my arms, gently wrapping her arms around me as I do the same for her. She buries her head into my shoulder, as I run my fingers through her short hair. "Mama, I was so worried for you," she whispers, her voice thick with tears.

My chin trembles and I close my eyes, tears spilling over my cheeks as I bury my face into her hair. "Thank you, Morgan… thank you…" I sob as I cling to her, as Ricken holds us both close.

"Come on ladies, let's go to our cabin," he whispers, turning us in the direction to go below deck. He takes our hands and guides us down to the room, which is just a few steps away from the infirmary. They both help me to settle down on the bed, making me lean back into the roughly made mattress. "Rest, we're going to be right here for you, always."

I close my eyes and pull Ricken close on the bed, needing to feel him close to me. "Thank you," I whisper to them, but think that I won't always be there for them, and it hurts.

Robin POV

I stand with Chrom at the railing of the lower deck, leaning my head against his armored shoulder. "She won't recover from this one, I can feel it, Chrom."

He nods. "I've been thinking the same for a while now. She's just too far gone now, no matter what happens. No amount of rest and talking can heal her this time."

I shake my head and clench my fists. "If only Tharja would have listened to us, none of this would have happened. She created the opening Excellus needed to capture those two."

"Robin, we can't blame her, she was only thinking of the greater safety of our force," he murmurs into my ear.

"And let's not forget how we are to explain what happened to Validar… I don't even know how we'll live through that encounter. I don't even want to think about it." I sigh, letting him pull me into his arms. "How am I supposed to let this go without feeling all this guilt?"

He kisses the top of my head and brushes his fingers through my hair. "That is the one thing I can't answer, or help you with. You just need to accept that you were not at fault here, I think that is why you feel so bad about this."

"And how am I not ultimately at fault for this? I took her with me, I taught her to fight to the death, I let her learn what it was to hate, and I let her down. I let her be used against me for months on end, I let her get away without a fight, without trying to stop her." I shake in his arms. "Chrom, that should have been me. I was supposed to be the Avatar of Grima, and I let them get to her when she and Lucina needed me most."

"No, you can't blame yourself anymore. We had no way of knowing that any of this was possible, for Lucina kept everything a secret for fear of disrupting this time any further than she already had. Nobody is at fault here except the enemy, for they had the choice not to do what they did." He squeezes me around the shoulders gently. "Please, if you are to blame anyone, blame the ones who did this to her. All you did was teach her to fight for the right side."

I nod and clutch at his shirt, desperate to know he is truly here, and that he is telling the truth.

Okay, there is going to be a time skip, and whatever you think is about to happen, forget it, and you might want to hurt me for what is to come in the next few chapters, but since it'll never get finished if you do, just save it for until you see what I'm gonna do with this story.

I do not own Fire Emblem Awakening


	28. Chapter 28

Five Months Later, The Shepherds have left Sophia and Ricken in Chon'sin to continue their recovery

Sophia POV

I wait for Ricken's snores to reach me through the paper walls of the suite before I rise from my mattress on the floor, slipping out of the thin sleeping robe and into a black mini skirt, a matching loose, sleeveless shirt on my torso, then I throw over top of the ensemble black thigh high boots I had smuggled into the palace, and check for my knives one last time before I pull on my coat and head to the open window. With a building guilt in my heart, I force myself not to turn around and look towards the door Ricken will open in the morning to find an open window, an empty bed, and my final goodbye on a tearstained pillow, marked with Naga's brand.

I climb out and make my way through the shadows to the fountain in the center of the maze, finding a depiction of Naga in the center with water running over her figure, a stone copy of Falchion and the Fire Emblem in her hands, which has glowed with an unexplainable light ever since Marth struck down Grima a thousand years ago. I meet the gaze of the stone copy of the Divine Dragon and kneel down, touching a hand to the fountain's rim.

"Naga, take me to your temple, where your power may be at its strongest for our mission, and for my heart to stay true to this path," I whisper on the wind, feeling a tear fall from my eye as the gentle breeze swirls around me, picking up the cherry blossoms on the ground around me, swirling around me in a tornado to hide me from sight, and the spell takes me away from the healing grounds, transporting me over the ocean and land to the top of Mount Prism, placing me gently at the doors to her temple.

Her glowing, transparent figure appears before me. "Sophia, the Shepherds have detected us, even from Ylisstol. If we are to succeed, you will have to evade them while I prepare the portal for your use, do you understand?"

I meet her eyes. "What if I were to distract them? As my way of saying goodbye?"

"Child…" she whispers, as another form of me, but with red glowing eyes, comes to stand next to her. "Would you be able to leave them?"

I look down. "I said goodbye to Ricken, I can surely do the same for them, and besides… he will surely come searching for answers, ones he will expect them to be able to answer. I want them all to know that I am doing this for them, and for my family." I look into their eyes to see a reluctant understanding building in their eyes. "I will delay them as long as I can once the portal is ready, I promise. You'll just have to give me the signal."

Grima trades a look with Naga, and they nod. "I will ensure that you are aware of when it will be ready," he whispers, before vanishing.

I trade a glance with Naga before she too nods. "They are already on their way here. They were not quite over the last hill before the road to the city, so they are just three days away."

I nod in acknowledgement. "I will be waiting for them at the bottom of the mountain then, Naga. I'll see you when the portal is done," I whisper, turning to head down the path to the road, passing a patch of baby grass from what I recognize to be an old campsite from over three years ago, when I was revived by this very dragon. I shake my head, and wonder just where all that time went by.

" _Ricken, you need to hold your tome a bit looser, you goof!" I laugh, loosening his death grip on the Elwind tome. "If you keep your grip like that, you'll wear it out faster than you'd think."_

 _His smiles nervously down at me. "Sorry, Sophia. I guess I'm just a little nervous to have an actual teacher for this…" he trails off, not meeting my gaze._

 _I shake my head and point at his target. "Don't think about it, just do it! That's the whole idea, right?"_

 _His eyes suddenly shine, and he grins in return. "I get it!" he shouts, and fires off a perfect spell, destroying the target._

 _I give him a small round of applause. "Well done! Now, just apply the same principle to the rest of the tomes, and you'll be untouchable in battle in no time!"_

I smile at the memory of my first time giving him the pointers in magic, when he picked it up so easily I could have sworn he had been born with a tome in his hand, or his mother had read the runes to him while she was pregnant. I then think back to Lucina…

 _She helps me up off the ground as I begin to struggle, and I feel so guilty, knowing that I'm burdening her with taking care of someone who can barely stand for even five minutes without assistance. I squeeze her hand tightly in thanks, and she puts one of my hands on Jade as a twig snaps in the undergrowth, making my weak heart stop for a breath, my weaker body breaking out in a cold sweat._

 _She turns me around and pushes me back towards the saddle. "Come on, we have to go," she urges me in a whisper, voice shaking in a slight panic._

" _Now!" a Plegian voice shouts, and suddenly a group of people circles around us._

 _She tries her best to push me into the saddle, but someone pulls me away from her, and another steps in between us, engaging her in battle. "Marth…!" I call weakly, tears welling in my eyes, as I reach for her, before my legs give out under me, and a stray arrow goes through my shoulder. I scream in pain, feeling the warm blood trickle down my bare arm, dripping off at the bend of my elbow before someone ties a cloth over the wound. A hood comes over my head, and something warm is wrapped around me, before the pained roar of a reptile escorts me into darkness._

I look more closely at my life, and realize that it only took one minute, one event, to change my whole life. If there was one thing to have happened that would have kept me uninvolved in all of this, it would have been for me to have either let Robin die, or have hidden in the house that day and been killed in the fires of my home, killed in a tragic accident.

But if I go back even farther, look at an entire war, brought on by one man's need to stop a prophecy before it was too late, but failing before the fighting ever broke out. Go back, talk sense into a grieving man to attack at a certain place the royal family of Plegia dislikes openly, align the families, even turn the religion upside down! After all, do I not bear the Brand? Wouldn't Validar's attempt to perform the Rite on another be considered a crime against the faith? Or better yet, do I just travel there and just… destroy the Dragon's Table, and free the souls hoarded there for consumption? Yes… perhaps that might be the better alternative… avoid interfering directly… but if I find I have to prevent a war…

I walk down the path slowly, unaware of the change in temperature as it changes from day to night and back, and again, before I reach the bottom. My legs are the only parts of me tired, I pull myself into a tree, swinging my legs gently as I search for the constellations of the night sky, clearer than ever before here at the mountain, away from the smoke and light of the city. I find the symbol for each god, sending a prayer to each for the safety of my friends in my absence, and then search for those of the dragons, and stare at them through the night, until I doze off, dimly aware of my surroundings. The sound of tired muttering rouses me, and an exclamation followed by the sound of metal being drawn, makes my eyes flash open all the faster, and I can feel the red flash in them from the sudden fear of being attacked.

Seeing that Robin and Lucina are before me is no surprise, but when I make to jump down from my tree, I freeze, seeing Lucina holding Falchion against her mother, and realize it was Robin's voice. "Lucina?! What are you doing?!" she cries out again, fear in her voice.

"Don't move! It was you who killed Father in my time! What happened the other week at the palace with Validar only confirmed my suspicions, and despite the fact that Sophia took the curse of being Grima from you, you are under Validar's influence!" As Robin opens her mouth to protest, Lucina raises the blade just a bit higher. "Don't try to refute it, Mother! You know I'm right! He could control you again at any time, and you could still become Grima again! If you hold any love for any of us, just let this be done!" she cries out, and I see the tears making their way down her cheeks, and realize she doesn't want to do this, but will out of fear for her future, and for me, just like what I am about to do will be for her and Robin.

Robin, after a moment of staring, bows her head and nods. "I understand. My life is yours, as it always has been. You are my baby girl, Lucina, you always have been, and you always will be. Know that I forgive you for this, okay?" she replies softly, lifting her head to reveal her own unshed tears.

I jump down from my tree and start to run, pulling from my boots a long dagger, as Lucina raises her blade. "I love you so much Mother," she whispers.

"NO!" I shout, my voice melting with another as her sword descends, my heart stopping as my eyes widen, the hot red fading away in shock.

Chrom POV

"NO!" I shout, running forward, unsheathing Falchion as I go to attempt to save Robin from Lucina, knowing I may already be too late, when a purple blur slips between them, topped with a small tuft of blue like my own, raising a thin silver blade to block the Parallel Falchion. I then realize another voice was nearly drowned out by my own, but ignore it for the moment, stunned by what just transpired.

"Morgan?!" Lucina cries out, stunned.

The boy frowns, pushing her blade back, then stepping back, taking a protective stance in front of Robin. "How do you know me?" he growls at her. "And how dare you attack my mother?"

"Wha-? We have a son too?" Robin questions, glancing between me, Lucina, and the boy.

He glances at her over his shoulder, keeping an eye on his sister. "Don't you remember me, Mother? Pride and joy of your life? Reason to live and all that?"

I trade a glance with her and rush forward, grabbing the blade from Lucina before she can remember what she was doing before this Morgan person showed up. "By the gods, Lucina! What were you doing?!"

She opens her mouth, only to let out a pained sound before she nearly crumples. As she bows her head in shame, a darkly clad, hooded figure approaches and settles a black gloved hand on her shoulder, gently rubbing in a familiar manner. "She is looking for a means to an end, an end that is to prevent her future from occurring," the voice murmurs gently, though slowly. I realize is Sophia, and I find her to be slightly taller, both from the heels on her boots and from a growth spurt we must have missed. She lowers her hood to reveal her face, and snowy hair spills out to nearly her waist, clicking with wooden beads, feathers, and picked out with colorful string.

"Sophia…?" I ask, unsure if she is all there, if she might have hit her head or this is an imposter.

She smirks at me. "Did Robin still never tell you the meaning of adult supervision?" she asks with a gentle smile, and I sigh in relief, knowing the inside family joke that they still won't share with me.

"You two still refuse to share, and that is not fair," I whine, before I frown and turn to Morgan, still standing protectively in front of my wife. "Son, your sister will not harm her, I promise you that now."

The boy remaining unconvinced, Robin puts her hand on his shoulder. "Morgan, we just need to talk this out, but you standing here with a sword isn't going to make things any easier," she whispers.

Finally, he relents, and sheathes his blade, before I realize he wears a coat identical to Robin's. "Very well, Mother." He then takes a very good look at her. "But my goodness, the air here certainly does make you look years younger! Now that I've found you, I want to talk to you about this tactic that I read about the other day, of course, once we get home," he begins to inform her, seeming to totally forget about what just happened.

I blink and look at Lucina and Sophia, who refuse to meet my gaze. "Girls, if there is something you two aren't telling me…" I begin to warn them.

Sophia pulls up her hood, hiding her face for the first time deliberately in a conversation since I've known her. "There is nothing you need to know, Chrom," she replies, almost harshly.

I recoil and stare, then shake my head. "Clearly, you are hiding something, but the last time I made you talk, you were imprisoned. Therefore, I will not make you talk again until you are fully prepared to tell me, and on your own terms," I inform her, before turning to follow after Robin and my son Morgan… oh no, now we have Sophia's daughter Morgan and our son Morgan. Whose idea was it in the future to give our children the same names?

Lissa must have had something to do with it, and the hormones, I'm positive. It's something I would never agree to… I'm sure of it.

Lucina POV

"Sophia, what are you doing?" I ask her as soon as Father vanishes from sight.

She sighs and looks around, before beginning to walk towards a very familiar trail. "Come with me, Lucina. We won't go all the way up, but we need to be sure to have our privacy. Nobody else can know about this until it's too late."

I frown as I begin to follow her up the beaten footpath. "Nobody can know about what?" I ask, to which she only shakes her head, confusing me more. "Sophia, please, you're making me worried! Just give me a straight answer!"

"Not yet, I need… him here to help me fill in some of the blanks of the plan," she whispers, not even turning around to answer me.

As we walk, I think back to… that day.

 _My heart in my throat and tears half blinding me, I somehow manage to guide the upset dragon to her fallen mistress, lying on the ground with a puddle of blood already pooling under her like so many had in my time before I came here to stop it all. With shaking hands, I somehow lift her into the saddle in front of me and take off into the sky again before the Risen archers can kill me as well. Somehow, the arrows seem to curve around us, like the wind is only around us at just the right places to prevent the deadly points from hitting home. We make a high enough altitude to where they stop shooting, and I guide us away from the sun, to the northeast, where Mount Prism, and Sophia's only chance to be revived, lies._

 _I look down at her bloody, lifeless body. Most, if not all of her bones, must have been broken on her impact with the ground. Some of her bones, the ones that are still in larger pieces in her arms and left leg, jut out from her skin, the source of all the blood, though all of her internal organs must have burst on the impact as well._

 _Pursing my lips, I bite back a sob. "You damned fool, Sophia. You just had to become a martyr, didn't you?" I ask her corpse, feeling a tear slip from my eye, and glide down my cheek, only to be whipped away by the wind before it can drip onto her. I give a bitter smile then. "But your sacrifice now is even greater than it was in my time, the final words nearly the same, the battle for you just a little different. Your sacrifice will not have been in vain, this I promise you, and I will stand by you, and grant you any favor you ask of me, no matter the magnitude, in repayment for saving Emmeryn where even I could never have been able to."_

I blink as tears spring to my eyes, finding she led me to the old campsite we used when we were here three years ago after reviving her, nearly a quarter of the way up to the temple. "We will have our privacy here," she says softly, and an apparition appears, a transparent version of her with red glowing eyes and shorter hair. "Grima, she is to know the plan, for after we leave this time," she informs him.

My eyes widen in shock. "What?!"

I don't own Fire Emblem Awakening. Sorry for not updating in so long. Thanks for holding out.


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